698 Sarah Dusek: Investing in Women

Why Only 2% of Female-Founded Scalable Companies get VC Investment – And What To Do About It

Women entrepreneurs with scalable businesses qualified for venture capital funding because they have the potential to become billion-dollar ‘Unicorns’ only get 2% of the available pool of venture capital investment.

That’s a number that has not changed in more than 20 years.

Why?

Investors tend to invest in people they already know, so if you’re not in the “club” or you don’t have the key to the clubhouse, it requires superhuman effort to break down the doors.

Sarah Dusek struggled for 8 years to find financing for her camping company, forcing her to bootstrap and grow at a slower pace than she would have liked. Eventually she found the investment she needed and ultimately sold Under Canvas for more than $100 million.

Frustrated by her own experiences, and learning that the vast majority of female founders, including yours truly, have a near impossible chance of raising significant capital, Sarah co-founded her own venture capital fund, Enygma Ventures.

Sarah focuses on investing in women-led businesses in Southern Africa and has invested tens of millions of dollars in over 20 early-stage companies.

Today we dig deep into what stands in the between female founders and funding, the secrets of venture capital, and you can join the conversation with Sarah over on the interactive podcast app Podopolo, where she’ll take your questions. Download Podopolo [https://podopolo.com/get-app] here and invite your friends.

More about Sarah Dusek at www.enygmaventures.com

More about Sarah Dusek at Enygma Ventures

Sarah Dusek built her glamping company Under Canvas and exited with its sale of over $100 million. From her own experiences struggling as a female founder to get venture capital funding, and then learning that women entrepreneurs only receive 2% of all available funding each year, Sarah launched Enygma Ventures, a VC fund focused on investing in women-led businesses in Southern Africa. Enygma has now invested tens of millions of dollars in over 20 companies, and Sarah also helps women learn the ropes of getting funded.

Get the Transcript HERE