Work on your financial literacy
Passion and technical know-how are important, but not enough.
Worldwide, only2%of women entrepreneurs attract venture capital.
Only 2%.
There are countless women entrepreneurs who work hard every day and wait for their big breakthrough. But only 2% of them manage to attract venture capital. With We Are Jane, we want to change that.
Women investing in women
Together with Eline Talboom and Muriel Uytterhaegen, I set up a 100% female investment fund. Thanks mainly to female investors, we raised €54 million to invest over the next five years in scale-ups founded by one or more women, or where the majority of the board is female.
Our portfolio companies can count on financial support and the expertise of all our investing Janes and Johns.
"It's also about guidance:
when to shift gears?"
On the jury
De Leeuwenkuil.
Female entrepreneurship is on the rise. I'm happy to see more and more women in my mentoring conversations and accelerator programs. When I sat on the jury of De Leeuwenkuil, I found it fantastic that so many women came to pitch their business idea.
But once they need to scale their business, many women get cold feet. They feel they have too many balls in the air, they suspect they lack certain know-how, they know there are legal restrictions. From my own experience, I dare to say that women must take their fate into their own hands. Only then will they feel more confident about the direction their business should take.
For women entrepreneurs
My 4 tips.
Dream big
Dare to take calculated risks from the very start.
Find a sounding board
Look for role models, connect with like-minded people, invest in a good right hand.
Stay focused
Too many options will wear you out. Watch for the one opportunity.
"Say yes, and then start thinking."