
“ The network is a big problem. The VC industry is very small and concentrated in the coasts. When there is a woman partner in a VC firm, it is far more likely to invest in women businesses.”
So one would think that getting a few women into Venture Capital Circles might be the answer, but I don’t think it is going to create change fast enough. This past week, I had coffee with a very senior business woman who also happens to be an angel investor in a pooled fund. She said that she struggles to get men to listen to her in investment meetings. This woman is no wall flower. She commands a presence wherever she goes. So if she is having trouble getting attention in investment discussions, I doubt she is alone. I bet that other women who are in the minority in investment circles will experience the same thing.
This got me to thinking that if I want my voice heard through the dollars I invest, I need to think carefully about where I invest my dollars. Just looking at whether there are women on the board or present in the investment decisions may be insufficient.
I am coming to believe that there is a growing need for women-only investment opportunities. Women only can invest. Women-owned businesses only can receive the investment dollars. The following article explains this in more detail: