Investing in Women; Infographic

Nilofer Merchant sent this infograph out to a list serv that I am on.  Always interesting to see data pulled together in this way.  Take a look. 

 

Comments (Archived):

  1. JLM

    .Interesting infographic. Because I have a Perfect Daughter (who now has an apartment, a job and a burnt boat in NYC, thank you to you and that other guy with the blog for your help), I am very interested in this subject.Some of the data is a bit difficult to swallow — inequality v GDP as an example.So I wonder what is the argument — equality or a huge missed opportunity? Or is it just proportionate representation given the realities of life choices and styles?There is no question that hiring smart, accomplished women is a good strategy — like hiring military veterans who are academy grads with MBAs — is a good strategy. A hiring strategy.I used to hire the top woman finance grad from UTx for years. I couldn’t get the top male finance grad because they were all headed to Wall Street. I hired several and they were all outstanding.They all knew that I had hired them because of the shadow cast by the opportunity. I used to kid them about it. I also paid them exactly what I would have paid a guy. It was one of the smartest things I have ever done.I wonder if that was actionable gender discrimination? Haha.So, in the end, what is the call to action?I think it might be to be smart and not overlook anyone who is accomplished and a good bet..

  2. Ranae

    As a female founder who is just getting her start-up off the ground, I find this extremely motivating. I’m up for the challenge and I want to be part of making that pink start to overtake the blue. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Tiffany Willson

      This is an excellent post, thanks Gotham Gal. Like Ranae, I am a female founder and use all this as a challenge rather than an excuse. We do have a long way to go, but I think that right now a huge opportunity exists for females to be noticed. The problem more lies in the numbers, more women need to take the risk and start something.. get in the game!!

  3. Guest

    This is discouraging but really is only a visually appealing image of what we already know is true. What is super interesting to me is the woman’s perceived relationship with the investor vs the real thing. Even when we get the meeting and make the connection, we assume it is more significant than it is. Again, just interesting, not surprising.Going through TechStars this summer I was always one of the first in the office. Sometimes visitors would arrive for meetings and walk up to my desk (That was nowhere near the entrance) to ask where they should go and if I could help them contact the person they were there to see. Because I was the only woman in the room, they assumed I was the receptionist.We’ve got such a long way to go.

  4. Theresa Szczurek

    As a serial female technology entrepreneur working to fund my third start up after a successful prior exit, I still find these are challenging times to attract funding. Thanks for this information helping explain the situation. Thank goodness for Springboard Enterprises, Astia, and other groups helping women-led entrepreneurial ventures succeed.How can we get better access to women angel investors?

    1. Gotham Gal

      that is a very good question. there are not a lot of us out there. maybe i should start compiling a list.

      1. Kirsten Lambertsen

        That would be a slice of awesome 🙂

  5. Kelly Day

    I realize this may an unpopular opinion, but I believe these statistics are brought upon women by themselves. As a female CEO, I genuinely want to see women grow and thrive in the tech world, but I frequently see regular examples of women in the workplace who do not take advantage of opportunities in sitting right in front of them. It’s very frustrating and an area that I have advised women in my organization about again and again. When you see a window of opportunity, you can’t hesitate for second because promotions won’t be handed to you. There is prevalent lack of assertiveness among many women in the workplace. Unfortunately, I believe that until more women start acting with the same kahoonas that their male counterparts have, we will continue to see a gender equality gap.

    1. Gotham Gal

      unfortunately women are not men. some women have chutzpah while many others do not.how do we change that, not so sure.if you read any of the sociologists books about the changes that go on with the women starting in middle school where they go from being the one with their hand up to shrinking to the back of the room. it has to start there.

      1. Kelly Day

        Totally agreed. Trying to start by working with my daughters, 7 and 5, and the women in my company to help them see that they won’t be rewarded for being the one sitting quietly in the meeting. Long way to go…

  6. William Mougayar

    Incredible stats. Hard to believe we’re in 2012 & still so behind.

  7. panterosa,

    GG, sad numbers this post graphic shows. But today’s NYT Op Ed piece on Why Men Fail gives one hope of tides turning.There have been several articles on men falling behind, and I wonder whether there will be a noticeable difference in the female entrepreneur field as a result. What do you think? Is it just women feeling the pressure to perform and hence working harder? Or, as the Why Men Fail piece mentions, that women are better suited to some tasks?

    1. Gotham Gal

      i do believe that some people are just suited better to some tasks. i hate to clump women in one section and men in the other. yet, i don’t think women are under more pressure to perform but it is just harder to get funded as a women entrepreneur basically because of the concepts and ideas that they are creating. hard for men to wrap their arms around them and see how they can scale to multi-billion dollar businesses which at the end of the day is what they want to invest in b/c it is their thesis model

  8. Kirsten Lambertsen

    I founded my first start-up in 2000, an online virtual beauty makeover and beauty website. Talk about men not being able to get their heads around it! Look at that space now. We had a successful exit in 2009.I am back at the fund-raising, biz-building game now. It is definitely easier than it was then (although my new project isn’t “girly”). While tech (and money) is still very male-heavy, I think the atmosphere has improved greatly, overall. Hopefully that trend will continue.We need to continue to encourage our young girls to pursue the various opportunities and roles in tech. They need to understand that tech is a great way to achieve anything you want to do, even if it’s “girly.”

    1. Gotham Gal

      It is absolutely easier now than it was then for women. Let’s hope that its gets better every day

  9. Wavelengths

    I note that in this chart, women entrepreneurs ask for what they need, and get 50%.On avc several days ago, Mr. Wilson pointed out that a startup should look to have 1.5 to 2 years of funding.Products are not developed overnight. This seems to suggest that a woman entrepreneur is more likely to get 9 months to a year’s worth of financing, and is therefore in a more precarious situation right at the starting gate. Doing more with less.And isn’t that a typical position for women?Tough stats.