What a journey!

The InvestHer Directory started with one entry, one inspiring female founded company that deserved to be found by investors, partners and customers.
​
Today we have over 1500 incredible companies founded by women from around the world, and we continue to grow each week!

The fact that only 2% of Venture Capital goes to women-only founded teams is unfortunately neither a surprise to anyone anymore, nor has it changed in more than 30 years! The Gender Funding Gap is estimated to be $1.7 Trillion and even though all evidence show that investing in (and buying from) women entrepreneurs is a $12 TRILLION opportunity, progress remain slow.
​
We created the InvestHer Directory because of our fundamental belief that women are the greatest untapped resource to re-ignite the global economy and for that to happen, they need a platform which allows them to be found by investors, partners and customers. The InvestHer Directory is that platform.

About the Founders
Our founders this week all focus on facilitating access to information which will allow women to lead the healthiest life possible. Take Cécile Réal, CEO, Endodiag, for example, she is busy radically changing the lives of millions of women suffering from endometriosis by providing them with earlier and easier diagnosis. Beatrice Dixon, Co-Founder & CEO, The Honey Pot Company, is equally busy, manufacturing plant-based, chemical-free feminine hygiene products intended to offer healthy alternatives to feminine care. We will also introduce you to Shashwata Narain, Co-Founder & CEO, Veera Health, and her work which include building modern healthcare solutions for women's chronic conditions in India. Curious to know more? Of course you are, read more about these incredible founders below.

About the Founders
Nadia Gamal El Din, Founder & CEO, Rahet Bally, realised there was a market gap in need of closing when it came to supporting new moms in Egypt. Also concerned about new mothers, their health and specifically breastfeeding, is Dr. Helen Barry, Co-Founder & CRO, Coroflo. By tracking real-time data she is measuring how much sustenance a baby is getting while nursing. Completing our trio this week is Rebecca Alvarez Story, Co-Founder & CEO, Bloomi, and she is on a mission to normalize conversations about sexual wellness. Learn more about these inspiring founders below. 

About the Founders
Crystal Etienne, Founder & CEO, Ruby Love, was inspired by her daughter to develop period-proof apparel that every woman can feel comfortable and confident using. Rebekah Brown, Founder, MPowder, decided to tackle the issues women face when reaching menopause, providing plant-powered supplementation for each stage of the cycle. Dojin Kim, Founding CEO, Happy Moonday, came across similar obstacles as Crystal Etienne and went on a mission to offer organic cotton sanitary pads and tampons made with healthy ingredients and absorption power in order to alleviate discomfort during periods. Learn more about them and their businesses below!

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
​
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
​
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.
​
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.