See on Scoop.it – Start Up World

In the late ’90’s, we created and funded a special initiative to get more investment into women-led companies and more women as venture capitalists and angels.   Many successful projects and programs educated and prepared women entrepreneurs and greately increased women’s success in building high growth companies.  

On the venture side there were early successes with women’s angel funds, the women in the Kauffman Fellows Program (for venture capitalists) and Springboard which has caused billions of investment dollars to go into women ventures.  

But overall, the results have been disappointing.  Though the women VC’s in the Kauffman Fellows were as successful (and more successful on average) as their male counterparts, their careers were more challenging.

Unfortunately, VC remains more a male social club and women, regardless of how successful, often are not allowed to ‘fit’ in over the long term.    Its time for institutional investors to understand the results now and certainly what the demographics show for the future.  The latest Dow Jones Venture Source report proves that  companies with women as founders or executives are more likely to go public, turn a profit or be sold at a higher price. When women are compromised, the financial results are as well.

See on www.newsfactor.com