Selina Tobaccowala’s Post

Start practicing your pitch months before you plan to raise. You’ll get valuable feedback to make your actual raise even better…

Start practicing your pitch months before you plan to raise. You’ll get valuable feedback to make your actual raise even better…

I'm so excited to share a new iteration of the ground breaking #PitchBook All In: Female Founders in the VC Ecosystem Series for which I am forever honored to be even remotely involved in. It's so fulfilling to observe the incredible team of women that produce and release this report. This year it was especially exciting to see it come to fruition on International Women's Day and observe the splash it made alongside a brand new European edition plus countless events. I want to shout out all the incredible people who contributed: Ewa Rosol Jane Mallett Sarah McFarland Briana Howard Sara Good Fallon Sullivan Rachel Schowalter Julia Midkiff Stacey Jenkins Kayla Gordon Kane Mary Kenefake Abby Rankin Alexandra Comnenos Samantha Ratty Michelle Wie West and most of all, the report's intrepid writer and my favorite celebrity Annemarie Donegan, who managed to produce this report while nearly single handedly keeping her team afloat. That being said, the execution of the All In initiative is no small feat. Much like the path ahead for female founders with their companies collectively receiving far less investment than male-founded companies, it requires perseverance and the work is never done. But the data featured in the report shows that there are reasons to be optimistic about what lies ahead and the day of release always brings out that optimism. TLDR: PitchBook's annual All In: Female Founders in the US VC Ecosystem report was just published along with its inaugural accompanying report - the All In: Female Founders in the European VC Ecosystem. Read the US report here: https://lnkd.in/g_vpYBaF Or find the European report here: https://lnkd.in/gH8CcRuq

Who else has that Friday feeling??? 😎 Are you ready for another edition of #Unstoppable female founders newsletter? Let's dive in! 👇 💛 This week's Unstoppable Female Founder spotlight shines on one of the most prominent serial entrepreneurs in the UK, the incredible Debbie Wosskow, OBE, founder of Mantra PR, Love Home Swap, AllBright and several others. 📣 My rant this week breaks down the necessary steps you should take to find product market fit for your startup, the metrics you should be measuring and more. (Shoutout to Mark Roberge of Stage 2 Capital for his graphic) And in the #HypeCorner we have a monster list of women who have raised capital with their teams this week. A special shoutout to the all female founding team of Ecosmic who raised their pre-seed this week! 🔸 Benedetta Margrethe Cattani Gaia Roncalli & Imane Marouf Co-founders of Ecosmic 🔸 Annelise Brbora Co-founder & COO of Cordon Technologies 🔸 Kate Pleteneva Founding Computer Vision Engineer of Sorted 🔸 Marie Bedu Co-founder & COO of RockFi 🔸 Pauline Glikman Co-founder & CEO of Payflows 🔸 Dominique Demolle Co-founder & CEO of Cognivia 🔸 Kate Henningsen CEO of Infogrid 🔸 Anastasia Syvolob Co-founder of Geodesic.life  🔸 Dr. Anne-Kristin Heninger & Teresa Rojo Romanos Co-founders of Seamless Therapeutics  🔸 Lorna J Walker & Paige Mullen Co-founders of @Camion 🔸 Eugenia Sagué Co-founder & CEO of Cultimate Foods A HUGE congratulations to these women and their teams, I look forward to seeing what the next phase of growth looks like for each of these startups! ☀ Have a wonderful weekend everyone! ☀ ______________________________________________________________ 👀 To read the full newsletter 👉 https://lnkd.in/eet2Y5QR #femalefounder #founder #startup #womenintech #fundraising #investment #pmf #vc #angelinvestor #climatetech #saas #biotech #fintech #ai #proptech #newsletter

Still feeling incredibly inspired and motivated after attending Lobby Capital's Elevate - Female Founders Summit! Here are a few key takeaways and reflections from the conference: ⭐ Female CEOs are truly remarkable. Our approach may differ from our male counterparts, but it's every bit as effective, often even more so! The key is to trust ourselves and not allow doubt (or others' opinions) to hinder our progress. 🤝 Experiencing the give-and-take of support at the summit was profoundly fulfilling. Sharing experiences with fellow female founders, whether they were a step behind or ahead, created a strong sense of community that both nurtured and empowered us. We need to foster more of these connections! 📈 Investors dedicating time to build relationships with female founders and CEOs is the path to cultivating a thriving and equitable startup ecosystem. This ecosystem, in turn, will give rise to life-changing companies and exceptional returns, led by women in VC, founders, and CEOs. In summary, let's strive to connect more, support one another, and advocate for our collective success! This is how we level up the playing field. Let's do this! 💪🚀 Thank you for hosting Leah Solivan, Selina Tobaccowala, Alison Rosenthal (She / Her), Martina Lauchengco, and David Hornik!

In angel investing – a space where women are traditionally underrepresented, but actively rising in numbers – the Angel Sessions provides a forum to develop strategic relationships, build skills, and increase your deal flow. Join our next cohort of women angel investors this October to learn from leading investors, network and get access to deal flow👇

Thrilled to share insights from my recent interview with my Alma matter WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management founder report by confluentes e. V. – The student's consultancy at WHU. As an immigrant female founder breaking into the fintech space with OPTO, I recognize the unique challenges faced by underrepresented founders. 🌟 🔍 Key Takeaways: Female Entrepreneur Role Models: Representation matters! Aspiring female founders need role models to look up to. Let's give visibility to current and past female founders, paving the way for the next generation of trailblazers. 👩💼💪 Female-Focused VCs: Huge shoutout to trailblazing investors like Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund and Fund F! Supporting female-led startups is not just about equality; it's about economic viability. Let's rally behind these investors and amplify their impact. 🌐💼 Language Matters: Let's move beyond labels. Stop calling us "female founders" – we're founders, period. The terminology should reflect our shared commitment to equality. 🌐🤝 Find the whole report here: https://lnkd.in/ekDCahpi #StartupJourney #resilience #founder #venturecapital

Melinda French Gates, you recently challenged VCs to back women. We agree, and have been at Loyal VC since 2018. We have backed 125 companies with a woman CEO (a third of our portfolio), thanks to 'ditching the pitch' as outlined in our HBR article below. And perhaps due to our different approach to VC giving women agency to run their business their way, without having a fixed timeline imposed on them. Let me now challenge Pivotal Ventures. If you want women entrepreneurs to be funded, why fund only women who invest in women? Why not give men who invest in women a chance to support you in your mission also? https://lnkd.in/gJ5awvc6

Last Week, we had another successful Female Founders Pitch Night at Build in Tulsa. This event isn't just a competition; it's a crucial platform for change in a sector that continues to be male-dominated. Since its inception in 2021, Build in Tulsa has been championing this cause with a clear mission: to increase representation and funding for female founders in tech. This is vital because female founders receive less than 2% of venture capital funding. The disparity is stark, and initiatives like this are essential in bridging that gap. The impact of Build in Tulsa's efforts is evident. We have awarded over $113,000 in pitch prizes since the fall of 2021, providing financial support and a strong message of encouragement and belief in these women and their visions. Last night, the grand prize winner took home an impressive $10,000 for an app to leverage AI to improve student well-being, a testament to the innovative spirit driving these entrepreneurs. The second prize of $5,000 went to a founder dedicated to enhancing resume building, and the third prize of $2,500 was awarded for advancements in neuroscience technology. The diversity of ideas was inspiring, from robotic tattoo services to AI-powered legal assistance platforms. Each participant brought something unique to the table, showcasing the female tech community's breadth of creativity and determination. Female Founders Pitch Night is more than an event; it's a milestone in our journey towards a more inclusive and diverse tech industry. It's a celebration of resilience, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of dreams. Here's to a future where such initiatives are the norm, not the exception, and where women in tech are recognized and celebrated for their invaluable contributions. You can stream it on YouTube now, and I hope to see you at the next one! https://lnkd.in/dmTbMF8E #startups #venturecapital #foundersjourney #buildintulsa