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.
Patricia Nakache
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
Natalie Wood, ThoughtNet: Lessons for Women Sourcing Venture
Natalie Wood is CEO of The Thought Net which is a Thought Leadership Consulting Firm located in San Francisco, CA. They help companies build their brand to become effective market leaders and corporate social citizens via thought leadership programs that leverage new trends. She founded and built MizBiz.com, Inc. 1998 – 2001 an online business and financial services portal for women-owned businesses that served the small business market. She was also Business Director, Technology West Coast at The Economist Intelligence Unit from 2008 to 2010. Natalie can be found at TheThoughtNet & Twitter @thoughtnetinfo.