As in most areas where women are underrepresented, access to funding for women-led startups lags behind that for men’s startups, with women receiving only 2% of investment dollars. That is staggering considering that female founders now represent 49% of all startups, providing ample opportunities to invest. Returns are better also, “2.5x more per revenue dollar,” according to “2025 Review of Funding for Female Founders,” which also found that female-led startups are reported to “consistently burn 15% less capital.”
The National Women’s Business Council 2024 Report identified women’s business as having a major impact on economic growth, representing “39.2% of all enterprises and employing 12.9 million workers…contributing a remarkable $3.3 trillion in annual revenue.” And there are other incentives to invest in women founders.
Women tend to start businesses that solve problems and deliver consumer goods and services that women need, which makes them a good market fit, since women control 80% of every household dollar spent on goods and services. That should be a slam-dunk for women entrepreneurs, but the old-boys’ network has largely dominated the venture capital world, and they are stuck doling out to other old boys, despite the numbers—but that is about to change.
Women are entering the investment world and one of the best ways to get a women’s new business off the ground is with support from other women. Empower.com reports that angel capital is being sought by 46% of women-led startups. “Nearly half of angel investors are now women, signaling a powerful shift in financial influence. That influence is only expected to grow, with women set to inherit $34 trillion in assets through the Great Wealth Transfer.”
In her book, Activate Your Money, Janine Firpo explains that anyone can invest in private companies. Since the 2012 Jobs Act was passed in 2016, “non-accredited investors can now participate for as little as $100.” She explains how you can do this and warns of the risks involved. Most importantly, Firpo describes investing circles that women are forming to support underfunded female and minority-led businesses they care about.
These investments send a strong signal that products, services, and companies matter most when they support our values and needs. In her podcast with Dr. Nancy, Firpo introduced her new initiative, “Building the Sheconomy: Wealth with Purpose.” You can learn more about how to invest your values, build a circle of trusted friends, and make an impact at Invest for Better.org, designed by women for women to help you gain confidence in investing.
For another dose of inspiration, watch Show Her the Money, the documentary Catherine Gray produced to show women how investing in women-led startups is different in so many ways—including the fast track to building wealth, capturing missed opportunities left on the table by others, and seizing technological advances to create a better future. Available on Apple TV and Amazon, Show Her the Money captures the spirit and fun of women investing in women.
Gray continues to make her case in her blog, “Why Women Investing in Venture Capital Makes Dollars and Sense,” pointing out that investors miss out on profits when talented founders are overlooked and that women investors bring entirely new perspectives to investing. “Who writes the check shapes what gets built. Investors don’t just fund startups—they influence the direction of innovation…This isn’t about replacing male investors. It’s about expanding the table and unlocking the opportunity.” As Gray told Dr. Nancy in her podcast interview, she has transformed storytelling into a movement that empowers women to take charge of their financial futures and use their money as a tool to change the world.
Emma Hinchliffe reported on the work of another former podcast guest, Julie Castro Abrams, in The Most Powerful Women Daily Newsletter in Fortune on February 12, 2026. Abrams is the founder of two related organizations, How Women Lead and How Women Invest. Recently, members of How Women Invest responded to a survey to share their investment patterns. All of them “are already investing in private markets, though mostly not full-time VCs or LPs,” Hinchliffe wrote, “they’re writing their first checks as angels or otherwise dipping their toes into the water.”
The majority of the women surveyed—77%—”say they want to invest with a values-based lens and 58% with a gender lens.” Their amounts aren’t the billion-dollar rounds that make headlines, but Hinchliffe points out that with the $25,000 to $99,000 they plan to invest in private markets, founders and fund managers will have access to a growing source of capital. Of those surveyed, 63% said they “seek guidance or fully rely on advisors,” which makes “How Women Invest argue that these women are ready and willing to invest in startups and funds; they just need ‘credible on-ramps into private markets’.”
Barriers are everywhere for women—as budding venture capitalists and as founders—but overcoming barriers is women’s superpower. Throughout history, women have done what was needed to keep their families and communities safe and tried to solve every problem. The more barriers erected, the harder women work to get past them.
Today, despite diversity becoming an unpopular concept in business, which has resulted in layoffs and limited opportunities for women in the workplace, diverse points of view stubbornly remain the most productive, sustainable, and profitable. Creative women are tired of stagnant workplaces with inflexible hours, unequal pay, and unsupportive policies, so they are founding their own workplaces to gain more control over their finances and futures.
Whether funding or founding, it’s time for us to develop a sisterhood strategy to get women-led startups off the ground and positioned for success. Reach out to one of the organizations listed here or choose another that fits your values. Aligning your investments with your values will keep you on target and motivate you to do more. Imagine if we could reach 50/50 in all things. Inventive new products and services, and the investment dollars to make them a reality could be a perfect place to start. Let’s do more than imagine; let’s do it together.