Defining the X chromosome: the DNA of Women Led Startups

For over a year I have been video interviewing venture capitalists, angel investors and women founders trying to investigate the apparent shortfall in funding for women led technology startups. My goal has been to listen to as many people as I could from both sides of the table, in order to get a diversity of opinions on this controversial subject. Whilst I have been doing these interviews, many people have said to me that no problem exists and that women can be as easily funded as men if they have a great idea, team, plan and advisors. However the statistics show another story. The percentages of women in technology, female entrepreneurs and female venture capitalists are extremely low compared to men. But the reasons are multifold and complex and cannot be resolved quickly or easily. With this post I hope to shed some light on the intricacies of this issue. Everyone that I interviewed was inspiring and added a different voice and view to the puzzle.

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Patricia Nakache, Trinity Ventures: Investing in the Woman’s Web

Video interview with Patricia Nakache, General Partner Trinity Venture.   Since joining Trinity Ventures in 1999, Patricia has focused on funding companies launching innovative online consumer and business services. She is particularly interested in the impact of social media and mobile on the next generation of Internet services. Prior to Trinity Ventures, Patricia worked at McKinsey & Company helping enterprises in technology, financial services and retailing address their strategic and operational issues. Previously, she also contributed to Fortune magazine and other publications on management best practices in technology companies. Patricia is a member of the Stanford Business School Trust Investment Committee. You can find Patricia on Twitter @pnakache

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Nancy Pfund, DBL Investors: Female Venture Capitalists Dont Drink the Kool-Aid

Video interview with Nancy Pfund, DBL Investors. Nancy is a Managing Partner of DBL Investors. She currently sponsors or sits on the board of directors of a number of private companies, including SolarCity, Solaria, Brightsource Energy and Pandora. Nancy also worked closely with exited portfolio company Tesla Motors. Previously, Nancy was a Managing Director at JPMorgan.

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