When will the business world learn that women are essential to the bottom line? Women make up almost half the workforce, we drive 70% to 80% of all consumer purchasing, and we serve as primary decision makers for household purchasing. So why do innovative women still have difficulty getting funding? The answer is simple: Despite a push from collectives such as All Raise, which aims to double the number of female venture capitalists by 2028, and exclusively female-focused funds such as F3, the majority of investors are men. Last year, only 3% of venture capital went to female founded companies. While female- and minority-focused funds exist, these sometimes feel like concessions of policy, not recognition of merit. As a female CEO and investor who helps many types of businesses scale and raise funds, I work within this reality. Recently a Harvard Business Review study showed that male VCs viewed young male entrepreneurs seeking funding as “promising” … [Read more...] about 10 ways women entrepreneurs can outwit “mansplaining” investors
10 successful young entrepreneurs
Combating Reverse Ageism as a Young Entrepreneur
When starting out in business as a young entrepreneur, your age is often a major obstacle to overcome. Matt Rizzetta Published 10:30 am CDT, Tuesday, September 11, 2018 Photo: David Lees | Getty Images Photo: David Lees | Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 Photo: David Lees | Getty Images Combating Reverse Ageism as a Young Entrepreneur 1 / 1 Back to Gallery I'm not sure if this is something to be proud of or to sulk over, but I've officially graduated from being a young entrepreneur to a not-so-young one. Over the past decade since founding our company, I've navigated through two critical stages of entrepreneurship, making many mistakes and learning a lot of lessons along the way. The first stage … [Read more...] about Combating Reverse Ageism as a Young Entrepreneur
How This Company Helps Young Entrepreneurs Solve the Global Problems No One Wants to Tackle
Kairos is a company that creates companies. And those companies have a mission: Identify problems in the world, then solve them. Mary Pilon Published 8:00 am CDT, Thursday, August 23, 2018 Photo: Amanda Friedman Photo: Amanda Friedman Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 Photo: Amanda Friedman How This Company Helps Young Entrepreneurs Solve the Global Problems No One Wants to Tackle 1 / 1 Back to Gallery On a recent sun-drenched spring afternoon, Daniel Mishin is strolling through the townhouse in Manhattan’s West Village where he lives, works and, if time allows, plays. It reeks of Manhattan real estate envy -- lofty ceilings, wooden staircases, gleaming appliances, capped off with a roof deck and … [Read more...] about How This Company Helps Young Entrepreneurs Solve the Global Problems No One Wants to Tackle
Young entrepreneurs defy skeptics
NEW YORK -- The age-old issue came up again recently: A potential client asked Nate Hartmann, "Hey, how old are you?" Since Hartmann founded Yellow Box in 2010 at age 18, he's encountered skeptics who doubted his company could design websites and create online marketing strategies. Some clients even set out to teach them. "They tried to run us, instead of working with us to achieve their goals," says Hartmann, whose company is based in Chicago. Not being taken seriously is an obstacle many young entrepreneurs face. There are others, like being a boss without experience, or not understanding some legal and financial issues. But being young also has advantages. Though they may still have schoolwork to do, most owners don't have responsibilities like families or mortgages to distract them. And they bring fresh eyes to creating products and services. "I didn't have preconceived notions, didn't have any processes to shake," Hartmann says. Many of his competitors worked at larger marketing … [Read more...] about Young entrepreneurs defy skeptics
5 Priorities for Young Entrepreneurs
You don't have to discount the value of experience to appreciate the advantages of getting started early in life. Erik Finman Published 6:30 am, Thursday, May 10, 2018 Photo: Maskot | Getty Images Image 1of/1 CaptionClose Image 1 of 1 Photo: Maskot | Getty Images 5 Priorities for Young Entrepreneurs 1 / 1 Back to Gallery Young entrepreneurs are at an amazing crossroads: they’re just young enough that people are skeptical of their abilities, but they’re also just young enough that their accomplishments are amplified. Say that you’re going to accomplish ‘X’, and most people will have to fight the urge to roll their eyes, pat your head and ruffle your hair. But, when you actually do accomplish ‘X’, people are blown away by your ability to overcome tremendous obstacles—one … [Read more...] about 5 Priorities for Young Entrepreneurs