THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPECIAL TREATMENT & A FAIR SHOT WHEN Women Raise
finding my voice has been tricky. Until a couple of years ago, I chose to ignore the facts as I grew my business, FanSaves, in the male-dom- inated sports-tech industry. I chose to look the other way, put my head down and work to prove everyone wrong. But now we’re currently in the middle of our Seed Round and it’s become relevant again. I finally realized this isn’t about me, this is about an issue bigger than I’ll ever be and it’s time to find my voice again. For most of my life, I have been the only woman on the teams I have been part of, and it has shaped me in a unique way. Since my days of playing organized hockey on an all-boys team to my time growing my career in sports marketing on a team of all men to the meetings I’m often in now-- the sole woman in a sea of men, I have lengthy experience being the only woman in the room and it really doesn’t faze me.
by Shannon Ferguson
T here’s been a lot of talk concerning women raising capital recently and what that overall landscape looks like. Many venture capital funds and angel groups are waking up to the fact that while women-led companies are not rare, the capital invested in them sure is. In fact, according to Harvard Business Review, only 2.3% of women-led startups received venture capital funding in 2020. Oh and 38% of businesses are women-led so figure that one out. But still, there’s this overwhelming trend where some people seem to get up up-in-arms when women bring this issue to the forefront. As a startup founder and CEO who is female, I can tell you that navigating these waters and
“only 2.3% of women-led startups received venture capital funding in 2020. Oh and 38% of businesses are women-led so figure that one out.”
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JUNE 2021 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JUNE 2021
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