#46: Mobilising investment into female led startups and why female investors are key with Shelly Porges

<p>Shelly Porges is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of The Billion Dollar Fund for Women, a global consortium of venture funds pledged to invest in female-founded firms and Beyond the Billion, mobilising LP investors into TBDF funds<strong>.</strong> She is also a Board Member of the Financial Alliance for Women and on the Advisory Board for Mindshift Capital, Different Funds and Global Invest Her.</p> <p>Shelly is a globally recognised expert on gender-lens venture investing and a leader in fostering global entrepreneurship. She was honored as one of the Inaugural Forbes 50 Over 50 in Investment in 2021.</p> <p>She served as President of the North American Jury for Cartier Women’s Initiative for over a decade and as the former Senior Advisor, Global Entrepreneurship Program (GEP) at the U.S. State Department, a program she expanded to almost 150 countries, under Secretary Hillary Clinton.</p> <p>Prior to that, she had a distinguished career in the private sector, including both corporate and entrepreneurial ventures.</p> <p>We cover the following in this conversation:</p> <ul> <li>Female founders and access to capital</li> <li>How more institutional investors can start to invest with a gender lens.</li> <li>Why gender lens investing is smart business</li> <li>Female investors and why this is key</li> <li>How women who have access to capital can start investing.</li> </ul> <p><br></p>