#128: Closing the gender investment gap with Ayesha Ofori

Ayesha Ofori is the founder and CEO of Propelle, a pioneering investment platform designed to empower women to achieve financial independence. As a former Executive Director and Private Wealth Adviser at Goldman Sachs, Ayesha personally managed over £500 million in client assets, working closely with ultra-high-net-worth individuals. Motivated by a desire to bridge the gender investment gap and make investing more accessible to all women, Ayesha left her successful career in traditional finance to launch Propelle. With an MBA from London Business School and a Master’s degree in Physics from Imperial College London, Ayesha combines deep financial expertise with a passion for helping women build wealth and securing their financial futures. To find out more, please visit https://propelle.io/ We cover the following in our conversation: 00:13 Meet Ayesha Ofori: From Goldman Sachs to Propelle 02:12 Ayesha's early money lessons 04:45 Women's relationship with money 09:52 The gender investment gap 16:05 How women think about investing 27:45 Challenges in financial services for women 34:24 Introducing Propelle: a female-focused investment platform 39:55 Fundraising challenges and successes 43:16 Understanding the gender gap in investment 43:42 Bootstrapping and early funding challenges 44:02 The impact of Google’s grant 44:23 Navigating the VC landscape 47:24 Building a strong team 52:17 The importance of advisors and mentors 57:49 Future roadmap and vision for Propelle 01:03 Encouraging women to invest 01:11  Final thoughts ***