The Creatives Note’s Post

As a woman entrepreneur, I have often avoided focusing on fundraising because I felt it was a total waste of time. Despite significant efforts over the past two decades, women have struggled to substantially increase their chances of receiving funding. In the U.S., the share of deal volume for startups founded exclusively by women has grown from 3.8% in 2008 to just 5.4% in 2024. This modest improvement highlights the persistent challenges women face in the venture capital landscape. https://lnkd.in/eywea2wM #womenfounder #mentalhealth #personclinic

I have a renewed pep in my step today after participating in a panel at last Thursday's Road to VC Investment event run by the IVCA in partnership with Enterprise Ireland. To be in a room with so many inspiring female founders and hearing of the support they have received through the third cycle of this programme by our colleagues in the IVCA, Enterprise Ireland and the wider VC & PE Community, is further evidence that the industry has recognised that putting our full weight behind female entrepreneurs makes fundamental sense. Supporting female entrepreneurs isn't just about fairness or addressing the gender gap - its about fostering innvoation, driving economic growth and ensuring a more inclusive and prosperous future for all. #femalefounders, #femalefunders, #ivca,#venturecapital, #privatequity, #enterpriseireland,#femalefunded, #investorready.

Melinda Gates op-ed in why investing in women is smart and profitable. Hard to understand why the financial system is closing the door to half of the population. #InvestInWomen Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation #genderequality #gender World Bank #SpringMeetings Bloomberg News

New Article- Empowering Rural Women: Catalysts for Sustainable Development in the European Union ✍️ This article was written by Anastasia Costantini (Diesis Network ) & Claudia Petrescu (Centrul pentru Legislație Nonprofit). "By harnessing the transformative potential of green entrepreneurship and sustainable development, rural women can overcome socio-economic barriers, drive innovation, and build resilient communities." 👉 Read the full article here! https://lnkd.in/e2Sb8knW

I was featured in five article updates on Investopedia. A Primer on Philanthropic Vehicles - https://lnkd.in/gNdMFUHM Advisors Need to Bring Children into the Conversation - https://lnkd.in/gqqccPRY How To Talk With Your Clients About ESG Investing - https://lnkd.in/g8R_DvKX Preparing Clients for a Successful Wealth Transfer - https://lnkd.in/gWEyCh4M Transition Planning: Including the Whole Family - https://lnkd.in/gQ57uuQP #legacyplanning

When I joined the ISIF Climate team, I was excited to play a role in financing the investments needed for decarbonisation of the Irish economy. Almost a year and a half in, I have had a fantastic opportunity to combine this work with another deeply held conviction of mine – advancing gender equality in the investment sphere. As both Blume and Norrsken have female led teams (and exceptional females at that), they have been proposed through the ISIF’s €50m Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, which seeks to back private equity and VC funds established by firms which have a minimum of 50% female owners. The ISIF introduced this initiative in 2022 in order to play its part in addressing what is quite a gender gap. The EIF’s VC Factor publication contains extensive (and depressing) stats on the case in Europe over the last decade: ◾ One in ten founders and CEOs receiving VC funding in Europe are women; ◾ One in seven top-level VC investors in Europe are women; and  ◾ All-female entrepreneurial teams represent 3% of total investments below €1m, sinking to 0.88% of investments above €10m. Addressing these issues requires a multi-faceted approach but as a start, research has shown that investment firms with a female partner are three times as likely to invest in female CEOs. Therefore, initiatives tackling gender equality at investment firm level can have positive knock-on impact for female founders.  Blume Equity Eleanor Blagbrough Clare Murray Michelle Capiod Norrsken VC Tove Larsson Agate S. Freimane Alexander Danielsson Georgina Murphy Nigel Purcell Frank Dorgan Paul Saunders

📢 Institute of Philanthropy (#IoP) is pleased to announce the launch of, ‘Examining Trust and Measurement in Asian Philanthropy’, a joint publication by IoP and McKinsey & Company, at #PBC2024!   Over the past decade, Asian philanthropy has undergone significant transformation; characterised by its diverse landscape, it presents unique opportunities for innovation and learning. This report collates insights from nearly seventy influential leaders and experts in philanthropy, examining Asian perspectives on social impact measurement and the paradigm shift towards trust-based approaches to giving.   We aim to amplify the voices of emerging Asian philanthropists in the global dialogue, introducing novel practices for monitoring, evaluating, and learning to advance impactful philanthropy within the region.   Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/enM2mc-A   #ImpactfulPhilanthropy #HKJC #HKJCCharitiesTrust #AsianPhilanthropy

💥 What is the role of intermediary organisations in the Global South?  W We are thrilled to introduce 'Philanthropy Dialogues', a platform to share our findings on ethe potential role of intermediaries, networks and regranters in the Global South. Here, we share promising practices in disbursing funds that #shiftpower to people and allows for more agility, cultural awareness, and respect for local knowledge and needs. 🎉 About us: We are a collective of women from across Latin America and Asia committed to supporting a lively and healthy citizen-sector. From our different perspectives, we have witnessed the way the philanthropic sector is going through a process of deep self-questioning, reinventing itself inspired by decolonial thinking. ... Catalina Cock Duque, ... Gouthami, Gioel Gioacchino, Lina Villa-Cordoba, Lina Garcia, Mariana Lomé, Monica Tapia A., Sumitra Pasupathy ✨ About the Study: In collaboration with Oak Foundation, this study brings together insights from over 90 philanthropic practitioners and societal leaders across Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Their perspectives, captured through interviews, conversations, and two learning series, are the heart of the study—we committed to faithfully transmitting these different voices and hopes. This report is shared in 4 parts: 🌏 Part 1: Executive Summary, Major Findings, Recommendations, Horizons of Change, Methodology & Glossary 🌞 Part 2: Regional Trends, New Framework of Qualities to Assess Partners and Self-Assessment Tool for Intermediaries 🌟 Part 3: Voices from practice. Report from Learning Series 🌀 Part 4: Demonstrated Cases of Partners, Intermediaries, Networks and Organisations and findings from piloting a self-assessment tool This study is just the beginning, a conversation starter. In this moment of critical self-examination within the philanthropic sector, our findings highlight the urgent need for more equality in the ecosystem. Through listening, dialogue, and collaboration, we can create a more respectful, caring, and sensitive funding environment. 📣 If you’re passionate about developing capacities and exchanging knowledge on the role of Global South intermediaries, join our community of practice! 🔔 Visit our webpage to get involved: https://lnkd.in/dF4wShd9 Stay tuned, share your thoughts, and let’s deepen the conversation! #Philanthropy #GlobalSouth #Leadership #Collaboration #OakFoundation #CommunityOfPractice #TransformativeEngagement #InclusiveFunding #FutureOfPhilanthropy #EmpowermentPhilanthropy

My search for new experiences beyond academia led me to the webinar "Why participatory approaches?", by EMpower—The Emerging Markets Foundation. Here are my motivations and some takeaways. ✍🏿 ❇ I am familiar with participatory theories, especially when it comes to "participatory communication" and "communication for social change". So, I was curious to know how people who fund collective action by children and youth approach participation in their work. 1️⃣ The term "participatory grantmaking" is something new to me, although it sounded similar to "participatory budgeting". It was very exciting to hear about experiences in which children and young people can make decisions about funding allocation and distribution. 💡 I actually wonder if "participatory grantmaking" would also work in research funding specifically in the Finnish context where grant decisions by private funders seem so arbitrary and obscure. 2️⃣ It was very positive to see speakers who work as "grantmakers" emphatically talk about "shifting power", "handing over power" and "disrupting power". It indicated that there is a collective understanding among their funding organizations that without children and young people's actual engagement in decision making, "participatory approaches" wouldn't make much sense. 3️⃣ All speakers were great, but I absolutely loved to listen to Ramatu Bangura. Her intense dedication to the children and young people with whom she works is so motivating. 🔥 Bangura spoke about the importance of freeing children and youth's imagination from the dangers of organizational jargon and bureaucratic pits. She also emphasized the importance of transforming the sector so that it allows for participation to be meaningful in terms of decision making. 🔥 Bangura also emphasized that regardless of one's organization and institution, people have to have "their political commitment grounded and rooted" because "the institutions are vehicles for political commitment, not the political commitment" (quotes as I remember). 💡 Again, I leave an event away from the academic setting with that great feeling of breathing fresh air after a long time in a closed space. It was especially exciting to know that even though I read and wrote about "participation" more than a decade ago, some of the discussions remain relevant. It's always great to know one's ideas are not obsolete, right? 😅 🙏🏿 Thank you, EMpower and panellists for the great webinar! I'll definitely join future public events!

Early stage Women founders looking for a clear path, mentorship, and a community to help with investment readiness, Movement51 ‘s Founder Lab is now accepting applications for the 2025 program. I joined the 2024 cohort with Kindr and learned a lot that I could apply in the infancy of our company, plus connected with some great women I’m still in touch with. If this sounds like what you’re looking for, check out the details below and apply—you won’t regret it! #femalefounders #womenfounders #startup #preseed #mentorship Arielle Land Emily McBride Tianna Going