The reason True Wealth Ventures started, Rupp said, is because she and her partner saw a void
for women in venture capital.
Not exact matches
Melinda Gates told The New Yorker men who «demean, degrade, or disrespect
women» have been able to operate
in industries like tech and
venture capital, and that «the asymmetry of power is ripe
for abuse.»
Venture capital firms,
in particular, have long been overwhelmingly averse to funding female - run enterprises, «and I don't see a trend line
for any significant change,» added Trish Costello, CEO and founder of Portfolia, a platform designed to help
women invest
in entrepreneurial enterprises.
FORTUNE: You've previously said that you believe the greatest untapped opportunity
for venture capital lies
in backing
women.
Rethink Impact is the largest
venture capital firm
in the U.S. focused on
woman founders, according to Forbes, which is incredibly impactful
for female founders who aren't being recognized by most
venture capitalists.
With men being the bulk of the decision makers
in venture capital, it can be hard
for women to break through.
Jessica McDiarmid recently wrote a feature
for Canadian Business on the shortage of
women in venture capital, and how it limits opportunities
for entrepreneurs and investors alike.
The #MeToo movement is shining a light on stories of sexual harassment and discrimination that have remained
in the dark
for far too long, but
women founders are still facing an uphill battle when it comes to securing
venture capital funding
for their startups.
The percentage of
women among start - up
capital seekers grew to about 20 percent last year, up from 12.6 percent
in 2000, according to the University of New Hampshire's Center
for Venture Research.
We are working on developing standardized metrics
for women's leadership
in venture capital funded portfolios that could be used to inform investors and to compare and track performance.
The
Venture Center is also a proud member of Start Here Little Rock, which was launched to close the gap
for women and minority entrepreneurs
in access to
capital.
«It's a blind spot
in the economy and an opportunity
for investors,» said Sara Brand, founding general partner at True Wealth Ventures, an early - stage
venture capital fund investing
in women - led businesses
in the fields of consumer health and environmentally sustainable products and technologies.