HOW?
By rewired thinking
To take advantage of an investment opportunity others are not yet seeing,
we may need to change our thinking and ways of doing things to be ahead of others.
Broaden relatability
In an environment where a crucial initial test of 'can we work together' applies, where we naturally invest in products and people we relate to,
if we can broaden who and where we relate, we widen the pool for investments.
The widest pool of businesses offers you the most profitable investments.
Working with us
We've followed research and real life experiences, from across sectors, and countries.
We've translated the insights into solutions that are specifically relevant to the
drivers of financial performance and growth, the founder team, and the investment decision.
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We've applied those insights, to bring practical solutions that broaden our relatability,
specifically to the crucial piece of investment decisions, the founder team.
Know the evidence for
the business case
Know and recognise the
key strengths of a diverse founder team
Attract the business founders to you
Visibility of images on website and LinkedIN of female and diverse-led founders and investments within a portfolio
Embed checks and
reminders at decision points
It's active reminders at the time of decision making, that is proven to take the awareness impactfully into our decisions.
Have the conversation of why it is strategically important to you?
Build a diverse culture
and mindset
Widen access to
your networks
Networks not only offer access to those with capital to invest,
the network ties act as referral recommendations.
Awareness of
unconscious bias impacts
Businesses with all-male teams were four times more likely to receive funds than teams that included even one woman*
We all think we are objective, yet our brains are wired not to be.
So how do we more objectively select, and win,
the most profitable investments?
"Investors may unwittingly offer female entrepreneurs fewer opportunities to present themselves in the same beneficial manner as their male counterparts, by framing questions differently, investors elicit less favourable responses from female than male entrepreneurs." Dana Kanze
This is a long one, bear with us,
we think it's key.
“Women and men investors ask female entrepreneurs the same questions men do.”
70% of male founders were asked
'promotional' questions.
Their aspirations, plans for growth and potential,
for making money for investors.
“Cultural norms of gender, influences bias, in which both investors and entrepreneurs are complicit.”
Dana Kanze, after selling her tech business for $25m, earned a PHD on how questions were phrased by investors, and answered by founders, in the Q&A section of funding pitches. Words from 200 pitch videos, over 5 years, of the annual TechCrunch events in New York.
"How do you intend to acquire customers?"
$16.8m
average raised
Female founders were asked
'preventative' questions.
Their plans to maintain the status quo or prevent losses,
and avoid losing investors money.
"What does your customer retention look like?"
$2.3m
average raised
Female founder responses, impacts investors
'trust' in founder's as 'confident'
mirrored response, focused on
prevention of loss
$0.6m
average raised
$7.9m
average raised
switched response, focused on
potential opportunity
The solution to being more objective
Informed investors can now balance questions of potential for growth, with prevention of loss, to more effectively evaluate founders potential, and see through to the most profitable investments.
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Informed founders can answer prevention questions, with responses focused on the potential opportunites.
Male and Female Entrepreneurs Get Asked Different Questions by VCs — and It Affects How Much Funding They Get
In a University of Santa Barbara study, business plans were switched male or female names.
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Under the female name the same plan was rated less competent and received less (hypothetical) investment
When the business plan was
highly innovative, this
bucked gender stereotypes
of women being less bold and risk loving.
The solution ... investors and founders can both 'lean in'.
Videos, articles, and reports
Our picks of the most insightful videos, articles, and reports,
on how diverse leadership teams
drive the highest performing businesses.
articles
Our pick of the most insightful articles.
reference list
Our pick of the most insightful reports.
Rewire thinking for smarter investments