The rising social and economic power of women venture is global mega-trend that venture capital is beginning to notice.
Suzanne Biegel, a longtime gender lens investor and advisor, and the team over at the Wharton Social Impact Initiative have pulled together one of the most comprehensive lists of private equity, venture capital and debt funds explicitly investing with a gender lens.
A gender lens can mean different things to different investors. Included: Women-led companies, companies that improve the lives of women and girls, and “companies, funds, and investment vehicles with a focus on women throughout value chains, products and services, or leadership,” according to the report. Not included: investments into companies or investment vehicles that only incidentally impact women, like a micro-finance institution without an overt gender focus.
One notable fund is the $2 million Patamar Investing in Women Fund, part of the $45 million managed by Patamar Capital (formerly Unitus Impact) with a mixed team of men and women led by CEO Geoff Woolley. The fund is looking to invest in six to eight highly scalable women-led businesses to ride economic growth and the rising middle class in Southeast Asia.
See the full report on ImpactAlpha.