The Resilient aims to empower female entrepreneurs and businesses; therefore it is only fitting that in honor of International Women’s Day, the international consultancy released their “Female Funding Futures” report. It’s the inaugural edition of the company’s “Resilient Outlook” report series. Written by founder Ozlem Tuskan, the document contains the latest insights into the current state of gender bias in the VC landscape, as well as strategies for female founders looking to navigate the challenging terrain. “The women I know in business are some of the biggest visionaries and all have their eye on the big picture—it’s the having to prove themselves over and over that gets them stuck in metrics and building momentum,” Tuskan states. “This is why I was compelled to provide the knowledge, understanding, and tools they need to establish greater confidence and be empowered with a clear and magnetic brand that drives investment and revenue.”

Tuskan’s business acumen and intuition is one built from over two decades of branding, communications, and strategy expertise, advising the likes of L'Oréal, Facebook, Google UK, and Unilever. The former Head of Strategy and Business Development at The Future Laboratory and founder of Brandseers Brand Design Consultancy (winner of the 2014 Felis Environment and Sustainability Achievement Award), she created The Resilient in 2020—a time where personal and professional resilience became more vital than ever.

BeautyMatter outlined the key takeaways from the report below.

• Women make up over half the global population and yet receive only 2.3% of VC funding.
• More than one-third of female entrepreneurs globally, 54% of women in the UK, and 46% of women in the US experience gender bias when trying to raise capital.
• Women account for a third of the world’s wealth and contribute $5 trillion of wealth every year, a sum estimated to accelerate significantly over the next decade.
• Investments in female-founded companies averaged $935,000—less than half the average $2.1 million invested in companies founded by male entrepreneurs. Despite this gap, start-ups founded by women performed better over time, generating 10% more in cumulative revenue over a five-year period: $730,000 vs $662,000.
• Women of color CEOs receive less than 1% of funding.
• Female entrepreneurs in the US raised more VC dollars in 2021 than at any stage over the last decade.
• Research by Dr. Dana Kanze, assistant professor of organizational behavior at London Business School, shows that in funding pitch scenarios, women are predominantly asked prevention questions while men are asked promotion ones. Kanze sees this as a culprit for female founders getting less funding.
• Half of US adults say they’d rather work at a female-led company than a male-led one because they're more purpose driven, more likely to have access to childcare, and are more likely to offer equal pay.
• Citywire’s Alpha Female 2021 report found that the percentage of female fund managers has nudged just 1.5% in the past five years, from 10.3% in 2016 to 11.8% in 2021.
• Top-performing female managers in 2021 control almost the same value of assets as their male peers.
• The majority of venture capitalists are white men (58%), compared to just 11% white women, 2% Black men, 1% Black women, and less than 1% Latina women.
• When VCs encounter a woman or multicultural founder, they are “rigid in applying their definitions of ‘fit’ and are unlikely to educate themselves about the product, market segment or opportunity before them.”
• Female-led VC funds are twice as likely to invest in start-ups with at least one female founder and three times as likely to invest in start-ups with a woman CEO.

Diversity-focused VC Funds

• Halogen Ventures
• January Ventures
• Adapt Ventures
• Harlem Capital
• The Fund

4-Step Brand Strategy Checklist

1. Get clear on both your business and investment strategies, do your research, and align with an investor who shares your values and outlook.

2. Get super investigative when defining your market opportunity. 

3. Be inspired by a benchmark(s) and clear on your competition.

4. Think about how you and your brand will excite investors. 

Top 4 Tips for Entrepreneurs 

1. Network and mentor: Even if you’ve just got the start of a business idea, go out and connect with people who can help. Attend networking events to meet like-minded individuals who motivate and inspire you to take the next step. Then, pay it forward through mentoring.

2. Skill up with confidence: One of the biggest difficulties women face in business is other people’s perceptions. Women have to work even harder and be even tougher to gain the same respect as men. Try not to let this get you down—confidence grows as success does. It’s not a race.

3. Embrace failure: What you don’t know, you will learn; what you haven’t tried, you will experience—and if you fail, you will survive. The journey is as important as the end results.

4. Grow your mindset: A 1% shift in mindset can lead to a 90% increase in revenue. Adopting a growth mindset is everything. When you do, you will turn every setback into a comeback.