Embarc Collective and ReliaQuest partnered to host the fourth annual Glaring Gap Summit, dedicated to closing the gender gap in startup investing. This year marked 200 participants across 34 Florida cities.

Since its inception, the Glaring Gap Summit has advanced the investing careers of its participants. Meeka Etienne Crabb, a University of Tampa graduate student in 2020, met a fellow participant that connected her with a Private Equity role at Permira, a global investment firm with a total committed capital of €77billion +. Kathleen Osborne attended the program in 2022 and made her first angel check in Tiny Organics, an organic baby and toddler meal delivery company that has gone on to raise over $13.5M in funding.

The national expert speaker lineup in the 2023 program included Allison Baum Gates, General Partner at SemperVirens and author of “Breaking into Venture,” Emily Achler, CEO at Italic Type, Ellie Bahrmasel, CEO at Further Faster, and Haley Bryant, Investor at HustleFund, Julia Boorstin, Senior Media and Tech Correspondent for CNBC, and Kim Hill, Chief of Staff and Head of Corporate Communications at ReliaQuest, who shared their pathways into venture capital and startup investing.

Angela Lee, Founder of 37 Angels and Professor of VC at Columbia University, presented her rigorous curriculum on the foundations of startup investing and due diligence. Applying the knowledge from training, participants evaluated seven pitches by women-led startups building at Embarc Collective.

Following the training, participants and speakers enjoyed networking at the closing reception, made possible with support from J.P. Morgan and CBK Events & Catering.

More takeaways from the summit are featured in Axios, Tampa Bay Inno, and in an exclusive interview with Allison Baum Gates by Selene San Felice at Axios.

What Do Participants Say?

This was an incredibly educational experience. I loved the balance between theory and practice.

“The learnings were invaluable, the energy in the room was truly inspiring, and I felt privileged to be a part of this program. The discussions were thought-provoking, and the connections I made were nothing short of fantastic! I would recommend this program to any woman even remotely interested in startup investing.”

— 2023 Glaring Gap Summit Participants

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