At GIH we celebrate diversity and inclusion, it’s part of who we are and what we stand for. As such, much of our advocacy work includes bringing additional visibility to underrepresented founders through our social media, networks and advocacy work.

Special spotlight on 5 great Founders
​That’s why, as we are nearing the end of this year’s Pride Month, we’re happy to say we’ve featured another 5 inspiring founders from our InvestHer Directory, all whom are also a part of the LGBTQ+ community, in our Newsletter, across our Social Media channels and on our Blog:

• Leanne Pittsford (Lesbians Who Tech & Allies)
• Vivienne Ming (Socos Labs)
• Laura Clise (Intentionalist)
• Brandy Hoffman (Volition Beauty)
• Kelly Rakowski (Lex)

All five of these incredible founders help pave the way for other members of the LGBTQ+ community and we are proud to have them featured on our Directory.

Want to support other LGBTQIA+ Founders? Here’s how:
Find other members of the LGBTQIA+ community on InvestHer Directory as well and don’t forget to Follow them on Social Media, Promote them in your network and buy their Products to really boost their businesses.
Click on the image below to discover some more great women founders from the LGBTQIA+ community!

​About Kell
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Since 2005, Kell has lived and worked in New York City. She was an art book designer at Todd Oldham Studio, before going on to become a photo director at the architecture and design magazine Metropolis. She has written for the iconic Vogue magazine, as well as founding h_e_r_s_t_o_r_y, an Instagram of Herstoric Lesbian Imagery from 1800s - 2000s, which received press from VICE, Marie Claire, Dazed & Confused, and NYTimes.

About Brandy Hoffman
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Brandy Hoffman is an experienced chief operating officer and entrepreneur with a passion for marketing, supply chain and operations management, and superior products and community who has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur and the New York Times.

About Laura

Laura Clise began as a corporate intrapreneur, holding various roles leading sustainability, corporate responsibility, supplier diversity, and external communications. However, her passion to drive social and environmental impact led her to become the founder and CEO of the Intentionalist.
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Laura is a regular speaker on sustainability, climate change mitigation, and diversity and inclusion, as well as serving on the board of directors for Athlete Ally and IslandWood. She has also won several awards such as the LGBT Leadership Award issued by the National Diversity Council.

About Vivienne & Why She Created Socos Labs

​Vivienne Ming is a theoretical neuroscientist, entrepreneur, author and mother who has been featured in The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Atlantic and Quartz Magazine. She has been widely recognised for her hard work and dedication, receiving numerous awards such as Berkeley’s Chamber of Commerce Visionary Award, and has also been named one of the Ten Women to Watch in Tech by Inc. Magazine!

In 2005, Ming came out as a trans woman. Eight years later, she and her wife, Norma, founded Socos Labs, a science incubator dedicated to solving some of the world's most pressing problems.

Man-made climate change has brought about an increase in extreme weather events and conditions across the world, with some regions on the brink of collapse due to consecutive droughts coinciding with severe storms, cyclones, and hurricanes.
Women are more affected by climate change than men, and yet greentech is currently a male-dominated field; in Canada, only 1 in 10 greentech business founders are women  and only 19% of greentech startups have at least one female founder. When it comes to creating climate-friendly more sustainable solutions for our planet, the women’s perspective is sorely lacking.

 🏳️‍🌈 ​During Pride Month, just like last year, we have decided to showcase 5 Founders from the LGBTQIA+ Community from InvestHer Directory and put them in the spotlight. At Global Invest Her, diversity and inclusion are part of our DNA and we really care about being part of this important advocacy, to create visibility for underrepresented founders. That’s why, throughout the whole month of June you’ll get to discover our highlighted 5 founders in our Founder Focus section in the InvestHer Newsletter and on our social media too.

​If you haven’t subscribed already, now is the perfect opportunity!

Founders from the 🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQIA+ Community on the InvestHer Directory represent such diverse sectors as Big Data, BioTech, FemTech, Arts & Culture and FinTech from all over the world, with the majority raising Seed rounds.

• If you are a founder looking for Funding and a fabulous Community, kickstart your journey with us and apply now for FREE to be a part of the InvestHer Directory!