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Filling the Funding Gap for Women Entrepreneurs

Filling the Funding Gap for Women Entrepreneurs

Women-led businesses are on the rise, yet these firms have traditionally been under-served by venture capital, angel investing and other sources of growth capital. Women receive less than 15% of all early stage capital, and even those fortunate few raise significantly less than their male counterparts, notes Deborah Jackson, a former investment banker turned angel investor. To help change that, Jackson last fall launched Plum Alley, a crowdfunding, e-commerce and networking site for women entrepreneurs. In its first couple of months, the site has helped a dozen women raise more than $200,000 for their ventures. Plum Alley is just one of a growing network of women-focused angel groups, accelerators and crowdfunding platforms arising to tackle that funding gap.

Gender Finance