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Let’s Talk About Money: Bridging the Funding Gap for Women Entrepreneurs

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2 min read · Oct 1

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Elina Omarova

Less than 2% of women entrepreneurs secured venture capital investment in 2023. This is not a typo; this is how alarming the disparity in funding for women entrepreneurs is. To address this critical issue, Embarc Collective, with the support of our presenting sponsor, RSM, and program supporter, Hillsborough County EDi2, hosted a special screening of the award-winning documentary Show Her The Money. This powerful film showcased inspiring stories of women founders and investors actively tackling the gender gap in startup funding.

Following the screening, SaLisa Berrien, Founder + CEO of COI Energy and member of Embarc Collective, Azin Radsan van Alebeek, Co-Founder and General Partner at Emmeline Ventures and a film cast member, and Justin Krieger, Director – Technology, Media & Entertainment, and Telecommunications at RSM, sat down for a panel discussion to share their perspectives on how we can take action to support women entrepreneurs.

The discussion highlighted the catch-22 many women founders face: capital is needed to gain traction, yet traction is often required to secure funding. SaLisa’s journey with her AI-driven Excess Energy Exchange platform exemplifies this challenge. Initially, some investors questioned the scale of her ideas, saying they were “too big” or opting to “sit out until traction.” However, SaLisa’s persistence and ability to demonstrate the platform’s potential ultimately led to a waitlist of enterprise customers and a successful raise of over $3M in funding.

Justin emphasized the track record of women-led startups, showing that they generate 78% more revenue per dollar invested than male-led startups (Boston Consulting Group). This statistic underscores the need for investors to reevaluate their assessment criteria and recognize the opportunity they have when investing in women-led companies.

Azin concluded by reminding attendees of their “investor powers.” We all invest daily in our education, families, and futures. Addressing the funding disparity starts with investing in ourselves, educating others, and recognizing that money is power in the entrepreneurial world.

Considering the strong case for investing in women-led startups, why not take the next step? Join us at the Glaring Gap Summit on October 23-24, powered by Embarc Collective and ReliaQuest, to learn how to be a champion of women-led startups.

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