#46: Mobilising investment into women founded startups and why women investors are key with Shelly Porges

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. 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. Shelly is a globally recognised expert on gender-lens venture investing and a leader in fostering global entrepreneurship. She was honoured as one of the Inaugural Forbes 50 Over 50 in Investment in 2021. 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. Prior to that, she had a distinguished career in the private sector, including both corporate and entrepreneurial ventures. We cover the following in this conversation: Female founders and access to capital How more institutional investors can start to invest with a gender lens. Why gender lens investing is smart business Female investors and why this is key How women who have access to capital can start investing.