Chaste Christopher I.’s Post

🌟 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐧𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐭: 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 🌟 We’re excited to announce Kelly Ann Winget, founder of Alternative Wealth Partners, LLC, as one of our incredible speakers at the 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 event! Kelly Ann is a trailblazer in alternative investments, having raised close to $1 billion in capital across industries such as energy, real estate, and emerging markets. Kelly Ann is the first millennial, openly LGBTQ+ woman to launch her own private equity firm, making her a true pioneer in the world of finance. She’s passionate about breaking down barriers in capital access and is the author of the must-read book "Pitch the Bitch: Grab Your Financial Future by the Bags". Kelly is one the speakers at the Investors Panel “The Path to Success: Founders’ Biggest Wins and Hardest Lessons”. Follow our social media to learn more about other speakers or read more on our site. 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨’𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫: Use the code 𝐁𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 for a free ticket! Otherwise, tickets start at $29. BONUS: First 50 signups get access 5 must-have fundraising resources: ✔️ Investor Readiness Checklist ✔️ 50 Most Frequently Asked Investor Questions ✔️ The Venture Capital Due Diligence Questionnaire ✔️ The Psychological Playbook for VCs and Startups ✔️ A Comprehensive Guide for Creating Financial Model Assumptions The event will be recorded, so even if you can’t attend all sessions, you are not going to miss on any valuable information. I𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺. 🔗 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐨𝐰 https://lnkd.in/dUrdRkyq #FemaleFounders #KellyAnnWinget #AlternativeInvestments #BreakingBarriers #Entrepreneurship #LGBTQBusiness #WomenInFinance

It really is quite black and white. Except it isn’t, is it? It’s just very white. It is time to address the lack of #diversity in startup investment. Increase funding for women. ALL women. Every ethnicity background All ages beliefs shapes preferences Across the talent spectrum and any other spectrum. When should any of these factors - except talent - be criteria for deciding investment? The ONLY way ‘All Women’ should be split into smaller segments for funding purposes is: -those who are willing and able to scale their business to produce the multiple returns that warrant the risk for investors and -those who are not. We are not there yet. I hope one day we will be. Increasing fractional segmentation into positive discrimination is a short term fix. It is not the long term answer. Positive discrimination is still discrimination. It is not inclusive. As an example, the push to include Black founders is leaving Asian founders out in the cold. People are resorting to this out of desperation, reaching out and pulling others up the ladder or pushing them up from below. I’m working to make funding choices more about other factors going forward. So reduce the need to focus on gender or skin colour. We know that diversity improves business results. Diversity of skills. Diversity in perspectives from different background and experiences. So it IS logical to increase diversity even taking fairness out of the equation. How can we make this happen faster? This isn’t a box-ticking exercise. Let 2025 be the year it starts to turn! First steps are: 1. Create a public manifesto 2. Build awareness 3. Decide metrics 4. Create a pipeline of investable business models run by strong founders. 5. Have courage, take the plunge, invest. What’s your experience of diversity? Is it like one of the 3Ds - death, divorce and diversity…or are things really changing? #femalefounders #innovation #startups #breakthebias --- Let's Fund More Women Invest in Women Taskforce investHER-UK ProspHER Business and Babies Fundfast Female Founders Rise TechFoundHer Women's Diversity Network --- Becky Lodge Elizabeth A. Dr Linda Odogwu Zandra Moore Bridget Greenwood Serena Fordham BA (Hons) CMgr FCMI ✨️ Erika Brodnock MBE Emmie Faust Grace Carter Máirín Murray Cindy Gallop Tara Attfield-Tomes Gwen Myslinski Sanjay Lobo MBE👫🌍 Jem Stein Dr Uzma Choudry Dr Lorna Treanor FRSA 🌞Sarah Morgan Bev Fawdington Jennifer Stojkovic Jennifer Faith Nash 🇿🇲🇬🇧🇺🇸 Mel Bound Nara Daubeney PhD Roxanne Goodman Bukky M. Babajide Barbara Gottardi Carla Ottersen Karli Büchling Katherine Church Natalie Haigh Jennifer Hoffman

For years, I pretended I was someone else to navigate my career successfully in a man’s world. - I didn’t tell anyone I had a child for 3 years, fearing it would cost me career-enhancing opportunities. - I stayed late at socials, drinking neat single malt whisky and smoking fat cigars to boost my halo of masculinity. - I used data and logic to make myself heard, avoided women-only networks to prevent being pigeonholed, and changed my signature to initials to neutralise gender assumptions. -I couldn’t offer to take notes, pour the coffee or deploy my mothering skills, when sometimes that was exactly what was needed to heal others wounds or mend political bridges. - I never mentioned words like ‘periods’ or ‘menopause’ because it would remind men that I was a woman. - I wore black trouser suits to look more androgynous, tied my hair back, and wore glasses to look more serious. All of this - just to be taken seriously. To be seen as a capable professional, not a woman with capabilities. It makes me sad. Is this what women need to do to secure startup funding? Do they have to hide who they really are? As VCs and Angel Investors, you have the power to switch the narrative. Starting this year. You have the power to make sure women don’t have to sacrifice their identity to thrive in this industry. Is this the world you want for your daughter? …neice, granddaughter…? For the next generation of female founders. The voices and champions of 50% of change? I understand that there are many causes, and volume and quality of pipeline are 2 of those reasons, which I cover elsewhere. When you do see pitches from female-led startups, please listen. Some of the stats - admittedly nowhere near sufficient in this area - are suggesting that they will be a better bet all other things considered. Help us to dissolve a system that demands women disguise their true selves to get a seat at the table. 🙏🏼 Work with me. Let’s raise a generation where competence and femininity are not viewed as mutually exclusive. Because sometimes the best man for the job IS a woman. And it’s because of her skillset, not her gender. #femalefounders #innovation #startups #funding #venturecapital #breakthebias #founders --- Fawcett Society UK Business Angels Association Francois Mazoudier Mark Shepherd Charlie de Rusett Kiran Mehta Jamie Harford Ranvir Singh MBA, LLM, MA(Oxon) Dan Bowyer Oliver Wheatley Rob Moffat Christian Dorffer Julian Buhagiar Marco Scotti . Peter Jones James Goodrich Gian Seehra Stephane Kurgan Tom Hurley Let's Fund More Women Invest in Women Taskforce Fundfast investHER-UK ProspHER Female Founder Finance Female Founders Rise Business and Babies TechFoundHer Roxanne Goodman Grace Carter Máirín Murray Cindy Gallop Gwen Myslinski Allison Byers Dr Lorna Treanor FRSA Sanjay Lobo MBE👫🌍 Jem Stein Jennifer Stojkovic Jennifer Hoffman

I totally understand this sentiment. As a female VC, I've observed numerous challenges faced by many women in the industry: - Receiving a significantly lower carry percentage compared to male colleagues, often being tokenized as the "diversity poster girl" partner. - Being overlooked for board seats in portfolio companies, or if they do get board positions, they are often with the least promising companies. - Being excluded from female-focused VC activities under the pretext that their primary role is to source deals, thus limiting their networking opportunities. - Facing subtle yet pervasive biases during partner meetings, where their opinions are frequently undervalued or disregarded in favor of their male counterparts. - Experiencing a lack of mentorship and sponsorship from senior leadership, which hampers their career growth and advancement within the firm. - Being expected to handle administrative or operational tasks more often than their male colleagues, detracting from their time and focus on deal-making and strategic initiatives. That said, I find it hard to understand why leaving the industry solves anything. While there are many aspects of the industry status quo that I disagree with, I believe that the most effective way to drive meaningful change is by remaining within the industry and actively working to transform it from the inside. By staying, women in VC can leverage our influence, advocate for equitable practices, and support other women and underrepresented groups, ultimately creating a more inclusive and fair environment for everyone.

👩💼 Chicago’s Startup Scene: Leading in Female Founders, Yet Striving for Funding Equality. 🌎 As of 2022, among the top 20 global tech hubs, Chicago takes the lead in terms of the proportion of female founders, with 34% of startups being founded by women, over two times the global average. However, just 14.9% of all VC funding raised by Chicago-based companies went to companies funded or co-funded by women from 2018 to 2023, which is lower than other cities. 📈 Therefore, even if over the last few years, funding going to women-founded or co-founded companies has increased, there is still a lot to do for women founders. 🤝 At the French-American Chamber of Commerce Chicago, we promote women in business and we recognize women's role and impact. For instance, the FACC's President and Vice-President are women, respectively Mariam Huss, CEO and managing director of Axxum Consulting, and Anne Pansard, founder of Pansard & Associates. ✨ Let's all take action to empower women and foster a diverse economic environment! For more information: https://lnkd.in/ezTGkaKB https://lnkd.in/eCh-u4AQ https://lnkd.in/eEzPHgWM #FACC #FACCchicago #Illinois #womeninbusiness #womenownedbusiness #startup #chicagobusiness #chicagostartup

"People take me less seriously than white male VCs." - An anonymous female VC partner. Ask women around you and I am sure that you will get similar testimonials. VC remains a male-dominated industry (77% of investors are male), and sadly, some women are leaving as a result. At Five Seasons, 43% of our investment team are women. We're committed to promoting gender diversity with the following initiatives: ➤ Training our team on biases ➤ Implementing a policy on parental leave ➤ Providing additional coaching ➤ Encouraging networking in women-led events like WVC:E Do you have other ideas to build an inclusive culture in VC? Let me know in the comments!

𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝟕% 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐒-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧.    For our random sample of matched VC-backed companies, the gender gap is slightly smaller—11% of founders are women.    The numbers speak for themselves: women are massively underrepresented in high-growth entrepreneurship.    Female founders also have 40% less likelihood of seeing their company become a unicorn, compared to the companies founded by their male peers.    These results are concerning. Please share your thoughts and suggestions!    Thank you to the Stanford University Graduate School of Business Venture Capital Initiative for support.    #stanford #stanfordgsb #venturecapital #startups #innovation #technology #theventuremindset

Vote for Pedro (or me!) ✌🏼 I’m honored to be nominated for “Female Business Leader” Thank you National Business Women's Awards ☺️ As a female Founder I’ve often overcome: → Having to ‘prove’ I am capable of the job → Fighting to earn respect → Guys stealing our ideas & claiming them → Gender bias → Gender wage gaps → Period workplace stigmas Not to mention: → Female Founders make up only 42% (USA) → Globally, 1 in 5 startups had at least 1 women founder (2019) → Only 2% of VC funding goes to F founders More than 70% of women reported job scarcity to be the motive behind their startups. EXCUSE MEEEE, we’re all so tired of fighting over here. The toxicity, bias, and glass ceilings are so unreal. But, every step forward I’ve taken has been a victory against outdated norms. I’m stoked to pave the way for future female Founders, in any way shape or form. If you can take a moment to vote for me, I would v much appreciate it. Link here: https://lnkd.in/gUgXsBmV THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

The recent election results show how women are still not recognized for their leadership. A convicted felon, despite his lack of qualifications, won over a highly qualified woman—whether you agree with her or not, she was far more qualified. This is a reality women face in business too, where only 2% of venture capital funding goes to women, compared to their male counterparts. As of recent reports, funding for Black women and individuals on a gender journey in the venture capital space remains disproportionately low. For Black women specifically, startups led by them represented just 0.34% of total venture capital raised as of 2021 and stated in https://lnkd.in/e7MqMpKG More broadly, startups with at least one Black founder have been receiving only 1.2% of total venture funding https://lnkd.in/evhEgN4S The trans community receives less than 1% of VC money.https://https://lnkd.in/e8Gmz5S5 At ICW®, we’re committed to changing this for all women and anyone on a gender journey. By empowering women to become successful CEOs, we can help them gain the recognition, funding, and decision-making power needed to drive change. When women control the purse strings, they fund the future. Let’s keep pushing for equity. #WomenInLeadership #FundWomen #ICW #GenderEquity #womenentrepreneurs #transentrepreneurs #lgbtqia A photo of my girls for attention and also my #why

Happy to see this story out in the media! As I state in it, it is not about any particular people or Y Combinator as an organization. It is about the clash of two cultures. One is a new wave of working women: hungry for opportunities, wanting to have it all, not ready to compromise family for career, or the other way around. Because why on earth does there even have to be a compromise? The other culture is the old-school (literally, medieval) corporate America that believes women with kids are supposed to stay home. These people have a disturbing feeling of wrongness when women in business are not uptight and black-tied, when they have to deal with lactation, menstruation, and baby cooing. In this culture, women are supposed to be like men and just also somehow be women. This culture would probably even make some sense if there was enough support for mothers, like maternity leave, sponsored childcare, or adequate tax credits. But given that there's zero support for parents in this country, we need to at least change the attitude. Over half of American women are mothers. If we want more female representation in business and tech, we have to accept mothers in these contexts. There's no other way. Many thanks to Business Insider for highlighting this important topic and to the amazing Kelly Burch for reaching out to me and for her skilled pen 🖊️