Why Female Investors are the Future

Session Description 

The investment landscape is rapidly evolving, and women play a pivotal role in shaping its future. In this engaging talk, followed by a fireside chat, Maaike Doyer, an investor, entrepreneur, and advocate for more inclusive capital allocation, will explore how female investors drive stronger returns, foster diverse innovation, and reshape how we fund the next generation of businesses. With experience as the founder of Epic Angels, a global female investment network, Maaike brings unique insights into why increasing the number of women in investing isn’t just a matter of equity—it’s a smart financial strategy.

Session Recap

The following session recap was generated by AI

This session unveiled a bold vision for the future of angel investing, asserting that women will lead the next revolution in capital deployment and fundamentally alter the venture capital landscape. The discussion highlighted how a significant shift in capital control, specifically mobilizing $10 billion, can drive profound changes in the ecosystem. The speaker shared a personal journey into angel investing, detailing the initial challenges and the eventual founding of a leading female-only investment collective. A key theme was the unique and impactful investment approach of women, emphasizing not just financial returns but also the societal change their investments can create. The session concluded with a powerful call to action, encouraging female accredited investors to contribute to this transformative movement.

Outline

• The Next Revolution in Angel Investing: Identification of women as the key drivers of future change in angel investing, shifting control of capital.
• Speaker's Journey and Background: Personal experiences in M&A, entrepreneurship, and teaching, leading to an entry into angel investing.
• Founding Epic Angels: The inspiration behind creating the largest female-only investment collective, starting from a small group of friends and expanding globally.
• Democratization of Investing: A prediction that angel investing will become more accessible to everyone, similar to the evolution of stock market investing.
• Shifting Power Dynamics: Emphasizing that the focus is on changing who invests, rather than solely on investing in female founders.
• Women as Change Agents: Redefining women's role from beneficiaries to active change-makers in the investment landscape.
• Distinct Investment Approach of Women: Highlighting how women invest differently, prioritizing not only financial returns but also the societal impact of ventures.
• The Superiority of Female Investors: Presentation of studies showing women achieve higher returns, manage risk better, build diversified portfolios, think long-term, and are more self-educating.
• Mobilizing $10 Billion: A concrete strategy to move significant capital by empowering 1 million women to invest just $10,000 each, leveraging existing wealth among female accredited investors.
• Lowering Barriers to Entry: Advocating for policies and collective models that allow women to invest smaller amounts, making angel investing more achievable.
• The Ripple Effect of Female Investment: Discussion of the broader impact of women controlling capital, leading to investments in new sectors like health tech and fostering different types of innovation.

Notable Quotes

• "What I'm talking about is who will write the check? Women. That is going to be the next revolution in angel investing." – Maaike Doyer
• "Study over study all around the world, they show women get higher returns in all the different asset classes. And why are women better investors? Why are they so much better at judging risk? They build more diversified portfolios. They think long term. Think about the whole ecosystem that they're about. And women educate themselves before they actually invest." – Maaike Doyer
• "If we change who invests, we change what gets invented. Imagine that 10 billion, 20% of that going into healhtech, that's $2 billion that will really change the ecosystem." – Maaike Doyer

Key Takeaways

1. Women are the Future of Angel Investing: The next significant shift in venture capital will come from women controlling and deploying capital, not just from new technologies or markets.
2. Impact-Driven Investing: Female investors often seek to drive the change they want to see in the world, making the startup's societal impact as crucial as its financial viability.
3. Financial Competence of Women: Studies consistently show that women are superior investors, achieving higher returns, managing risk effectively, and building diversified, long-term portfolios.
4. Democratization and Accessibility are Key: Lowering investment barriers, such as allowing smaller initial investments (e.g., $1,000 per startup), is vital to encourage more women to become angel investors.
5. Collective Power for Global Change: Mobilizing a large number of women to make relatively small investments can cumulatively move billions into the market, creating a ripple effect that fosters different innovations and a more balanced ecosystem.

Resources Mentioned

• Business Models Inc.: A company co-created by the speaker.
• Business Model Generation (book): A book co-published by the speaker, which has sold over 4 million copies and made the Business Model Canvas model popular worldwide.
• Business Model Canvas model: A widely recognized framework for developing business models.
• Epic Angels: The largest female-only investment collective, founded by the speaker, which allows women to invest with as little as $1,000 per startup.

Action Items

• Join Epic Angels: Women interested in angel investing in Asia-Pacific or South America are encouraged to join the Epic Angels community.
• Attend Monthly Pitch Events: A monthly pitch event, usually for members, is occasionally opened to the public for a sneak preview.
• Connect with the Speaker: Policy makers, angel funds, and investors are invited to connect via a QR code to discuss mobilizing more women investors in their regions.