Our Investment Thesis
Investing in Female-Led Tech: A Smart Strategy
Investing in female-led companies is not just socially responsible—it's a smart financial move. Female entrepreneurs often face greater challenges in securing funding, but this exact oversight creates a unique opportunity for investors.
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Research shows that female-led startups deliver stronger returns, generating about 78 cents in revenue per dollar invested, compared to just 31 cents for male-founded startups.
This efficiency in converting investment into growth is a compelling reason to back female founders.
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Moreover, female-led businesses tend to exit faster and at higher valuations, offering quicker and more lucrative returns.
This presents a clear arbitrage opportunity: investing in undervalued female-led companies, supporting their growth, and reaping substantial rewards as they reach their full potential.
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Companies with gender-diverse leadership also outperform their peers, making female representation at the executive level a strong predictor of financial success.
The underappreciated value of female entrepreneurs represents a significant opportunity for investors to achieve both high returns and positive social impact.
Hence, by focusing on female-led companies, Helena Capital can unlock this potential, positioning itself for strong financial returns while contributing to a more equitable and diverse entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Research supporting our approach
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Performance & Profitability
Female-led startups have been found to outperform and successfully achieve profitability in the long-term
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Investment & Growth Potential
While facing a significant funding gap, *female-led companies continue demonstrating resilience and faster exits
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Leadership & Diversity Impact
Women and diverse teams have the potential to transform the industry and bring business success in the long-term
Curated Research
Performance and Profitability
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Female-led startups generate 78 cents per dollar invested, compared to 31 cents for male-led startups.
Boston Consulting Group - "Why Women-Owned Startups Are a Better Bet"
Companies with top-quartile gender diversity on executive teams are 21% more likely to achieve above-average profitability.
Companies with at least one *female leader perform 63% better than all-male teams.
Curated Research
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Investment and Growth Potential
*Female-led companies are exiting faster, with a median time to exit of just 6.7 years.
Female entrepreneurs face a significant financing gap, yet when they do secure capital, they demonstrate remarkable resilience and growth potential.
Kauffman Foundation - "Sources of Economic Hope: Women's Entrepreneurship"
69.2% of top-quartile US VC funds in the last decade included female decision makers.
World Economic Forum - "These Entrepreneurs Are an Overlooked Trillion-Dollar Opportunity"
Curated Research
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Leadership and Diversity
Companies with more female board directors see a 53% higher return on equity.
Catalyst- "The Bottom Line: Corporate Performance and Women's Representation on Boards"
Women and diverse teams bring unique insights that transform challenges into opportunities—making diversity a powerful driver of business success.
Harvard Business Review - “Getting Serious About Diversity: Enough Already with the Business Case”
Female-led companies in Europe are underfunded despite the potential to transform our economies.
European Investment Bank (EIB) - "Funding Women Entrepreneurs: How to Empower Growth"
*Female-led is sometimes used in place of female-founded for reasons of readability. We do not intend to misrepresent research results and are aware of the differences between the two.
