#33: Gender investment gap: Its origin, impact and ways to bridge it - Lucy Chow, Vera Futorjanski, Medea Nocentini, Katie Wachsberger

All-women startup teams receive less than 3% of the venture capital globally whilst male-led startups collect 89% of it. And as if this statistics wasn’t depressing enough, the trend is negative. It’s getting worse every year. Venture capital investors share their views on the reasons behind such disparity. What are its consequences? What are we as a society missing out if this gap perpetuates? And how can we possibly bridge it? About guests: Lucy Chow is the General Partner at the World Business Angels Investment Forum and a member of the steering committee of the movement 2022 Female Angels. Lucy has been recently recognized by Arabian Business as one of 50 Inspiring Female Business Leaders 2022. Katie Wachsberger is the Co-Founder of DANA Global, an Abu Dhabi based venture builder and investment platform for women-led startups in desert tech, including agritech, foodtech, renewable energy, water solutions, and circular economy. Medea Nocentini is Senior Partner at Global Ventures, an international venture capital firm. She is also the Founder of Companies Creating Change (C3), a UAE-based social enterprise helping impact-driven entrepreneurs in the Middle East and Africa to unlock their growth potential and maximize their positive impact on the community. Vera Futorjanski is the CEO & Founder of Veritas Ventures, a global strategic advisory firm. She is also an investor at Launch Africa Ventures. Vera is on the steering committee of the 2022 Female Angels. She is a serial entrepreneur and is currently building a community for female leaders. About Darya Kamkalova (host): Darya is a data industry professional, a startup mentor, a co-founder of Manifest Taproom (a craft beer bar in Berlin), and a speaker. She is committed to narrowing the gender investment gap for female founders and diverse teams. Darya is based in Berlin, Germany. About this episode: This episode was recorded at the Women’s Empowerment Convention organised by the Women’s Empowerment Council. WE Council is dedicated to empowering women to achieve their goals, ambitions, and dreams. The event took place in the Dubai Opera on March 8, 2023. The next Women"s Empowerment Convention will take place on November 11-12 in Dubai.  Venturing Women website: https://www.venturingwomen.org/ Follow us on social media: Instagram - LinkedIn