Katie Kupstas’ Post

New on the Blog: In the eye-opening documentary "Show Her The Money, The Power of Funding Women Entrepreneurs," Catherine Gray, podcast host and founder of She Angel Investors, alongside many influential women, exposes a critical issue: Women secure less than 2% of annual venture capital funding, despite their businesses booming and contributing nearly $3 trillion to the U.S. economy. This film does more than highlight disparities; it's an empowering narrative that showcases the untapped potential of female entrepreneurs, whose ideas could revolutionize our world. It serves as a testament to the resilience and innovation of women, urging us to recognize the immense value they bring to the table. This documentary extends a compelling call to action to pivot towards a future where gender equality in entrepreneurship is not just a goal but a norm. "Fund women and save the world" is more than a rallying cry. It's a viable solution to fostering economic growth and equity. https://lnkd.in/gnhv7wNA

New on the Blog: In the eye-opening documentary "Show Her The Money, The Power of Funding Women Entrepreneurs," Catherine Gray, podcast host and founder of She Angel Investors, alongside many influential women, exposes a critical issue: Women secure less than 2% of annual venture capital funding, despite their businesses booming and contributing nearly $3 trillion to the U.S. economy. This film does more than highlight disparities; it's an empowering narrative that showcases the untapped potential of female entrepreneurs, whose ideas could revolutionize our world. It serves as a testament to the resilience and innovation of women, urging us to recognize the immense value they bring to the table. This documentary extends a compelling call to action to pivot towards a future where gender equality in entrepreneurship is not just a goal but a norm. "Fund women and save the world" is more than a rallying cry. It's a viable solution to fostering economic growth and equity. https://lnkd.in/gjrREStG

🌟 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

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

We expect women to be super heroes and then criticize them for being anything less. We do the same thing to people of color, as master coach Sherri Pittman and I discuss below. Case in point: my wife, Ann Walden, who somehow manages to be the CEO of the San Francisco Education Fund while also serving as emotional center of our four person, two dog family. I praise her for this often, but she shouldn’t have to be this amazing. Does my praise add weight to the ridiculous expectations we put on working women? #tech #women #bipoc #entrepreneurship #startups

You’ve hit the nail on the head—ideally, “female founders” wouldn’t need to be a thing. Founders should just be founders, no qualifiers. But until the playing field is actually level, we need the term to spotlight the very real hurdles women face in business. It’s not just about labels; it’s about exposure and challenging outdated norms. The data speaks for itself—female-led companies generate 35% higher ROI and 63% higher valuations, yet women founders receive just 1.9% of VC funding. Even more striking, women-led startups produce $0.78 in revenue per dollar raised compared to $0.31 from all-male teams. So for now, "female founders" isn't just a term, it’s a statement. Until the system changes, it’s a necessary one. So, do I like the term? Not really. But until it’s obsolete, I’m all in.

I'd love for female founders to be a thing of the past. Like women doctors and female lawyers. Today they're doctors and lawyers, no need for gender referencing. It depends on who you ask, but the term "female founders" is either empowering or inhibiting. When I started Monthlee, I aimed to be recognized for my skills and achievements, not as a 'female founder.' I wanted to focus on what I could do, not my gender. Yet very quickly I realized my gender played a big role. After talking with other female founders, I realized I am not alone. It's clear women face unique challenges. In investor pitch meetings— ↳ Men get asked, "How will you handle a million customers?" ↳ Women get asked, "How will you get a million customers?" The stats are similar in the US and France, only 13% of startups in the US are female-led. Here's why it's ridiculous: · Female-led companies have 35% higher ROIs and 63% higher valuations · Generate $0.78 revenue per dollar raised compared to all male teams’ $0.31 · ... yet we received only 1.9% of VC funding While many are trying to change the broken system, we still need to work within it for now. Here are some things to change: · Exposure, because representation matters · Pay women speakers at events (duh!) · Invest in female founders · Founders: ask for bigger checks and ask sooner I'd love to stop using the term 'female founders'— But not until the status quo changes. I am a proud female founder so my daughters, and the founders of tomorrow, can just be 'founders.' —— What do you think about the term? Yay or nay? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Maria Molinar for more stories on being a founder, raising funds while raising kids, and the gender gap.

I can tell you first hand that as a female founder it has been difficult since day one in business to get funding either from the banks or others - the system does not work and there must be so many lost opportunities to fund & support women in businesses that could make such a difference from so many aspects. #changeisneeded #femalefounder

Thank you PwC for inviting me to share investor perspectives in support of #female #founders seeking funding. 👉 In 2023, women-founded #startups in Europe raised just 1.8% of the total capital invested in venture-backed startups, according to the World Economic Forum. 👉Improving gender equality in the European Union could lead to a 9.6% increase in EU GDP per capita, equivalent to €3.15 trillion, and an additional 10.5 million jobs by 2050, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality. This would benefit both women and men. Here is some useful advice for female founders, seeking investment to scale, based on interviews with 58 #women #investors from 26 countries: ✅ Educate yourself on the investment landscape and terminology ✅ Choose your investor carefully – including by using your intuition ✅ Network, network, network – but be selective ✅ Be prepared for difficult – and personal – questions ✅ Think big and be confident Check the new PwC report on ‘5 fundraising recommendations from women investors to women founders' here: https://lnkd.in/dVw4GRc3

Ready to RISE is a programme that aims to help women across Scotland learn about social enterprise and discover their potential to use entrepreneurship to make a living, work flexibly and positively impact their communities. Building on the success of our pilot of Ready to RISE in 2023/24, Firstport, together with the Challenges Group, are delighted to announce a new Ready to RISE programme will support pre-start up women entrepreneurs in Scotland in early 2025. #socialenterprise #socialimpact #impacteconomy #womeninbusiness #startup #socent