There’s a problem in the investment community.

In 2019, only 15.2% of partners at venture capital firms in Canada were women, and even lower in the United States at just 13.2%.
 
And those low numbers affect who is receiving funding. Unlike many industries that experienced losses during the pandemic, venture investment thrived and hit record highs in 2021, except the first eight months of the year saw companies with solely female founders raising only 2.2% of that funding—a lower share than any of the previous five years
 
To combat this issue and encourage more women in the industry, Neal is committed to being an ally for women in the investment community—from venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, CEOs, executives, and other leaders.

“Women founders seek women funders. Diversity in the investment community needs to happen in order for more women to get funded.”

— Michelle McBane

Dive Into The Minds of North America’s Leading Women in the Investment Ecosystem

What can we do to encourage more women to enter the industry, fund more female-led startups, and back more gender-diverse leadership?

Listen to the ones living those experiences. These are the real stories and insider knowledge you need to unlock the power of diversity and understand the closed network of venture capital and investment.
 
Neal has launched a podcast called Passing the Mic in partnership with The Allyship: an initiative working to combat the underrepresentation of women in the venture capital industry through research and large-scale communications to accelerate the current pace of social change.
 
Turning research into active conversations, Neal will be hosting each podcast episode and speaking to female VCs, investors, entrepreneurs, CEOs, executives, and leaders to share insights into the most relevant issues they face today and how to take action. The podcast provides a platform for women to share their unique journeys and provide go-to resources to support the success of women in the industry or those looking to break into it.

“Diversity breeds success. We’re finding out that women-oriented companies are more profitable. They exit a year faster. And there’s an enormous opportunity to invest in women.

We forget that women are 70% of consumers in the US and beyond, and they spend the cash! So, it’s important that they’re a part of all of these businesses.”

— Jesse Draper

“Diversity breeds success. We’re finding out that women-oriented companies are more profitable. They exit a year faster. And there’s an enormous opportunity to invest in women.

We forget that women are 70% of consumers in the US and beyond, and they spend the cash! So, it’s important that they’re a part of all of these businesses.”

— Jesse Draper

“Diversity breeds success. We’re finding out that women-oriented companies are more profitable. They exit a year faster. And there’s an enormous opportunity to invest in women.

We forget that women are 70% of consumers in the US and beyond, and they spend the cash! So, it’s important that they’re a part of all of these businesses.”

— Jesse Draper

About The Allyship Project

The Allyship is a project focused on forging alliances committed to promoting gender parity in the investment community. The research goal is to develop a deeper understanding of how to encourage more women into careers in venture capital.
 
In tandem with The Allyship’s research, Neal aims to accelerate the current pace of social change and get at least 30% of women to make up the VC space by 2035.

“You do not need to fit the ‘cookie-cutter mold’ of how someone defines an incredibly successful entrepreneur.”

— Michelle McBane

Passing the Mic

Through research and candid conversations, Neal aims to expand the networks of allies across North America to ensure a brighter future for women and society.

If you're interested in being a guest speaker or want more information, please get in touch.

“These advisors who manage billions and billions of dollars of capital need to be disrupted somehow. Why are 20 advisors making the majority of the cash decisions for the world? That’s where something’s broken. If we disrupted that and added diversity—diversity of thought, diversity of every element of humanity—we can see these broken systems be fixed.”

— Jesse Draper