Why This Week’s Women’s Venture Summit Gives Me Hope for the Future
When I started working as an early stage investor, conversations about gender in entrepreneurship were in their infancy. There were VERY few women investing as angels, even fewer at the helm of institutional or VC funds. For me, it meant that I was asked to sit on A LOT of panels—there simply weren’t many of us in the game.
As for the presence of female founders, women entrepreneurs have always existed, and in droves. On the contrary, finding them represented in startup culture was like spotting a rare bird on holiday, and they were often treated as such.
Fast forward to 2024. As I pack for the Women’s Venture Summit in San Diego this week (9/26-28) I am savoring every email from the WVS organizers at The Stella Foundation as they prime attendees for an agenda designed to build bridges between investors and founders, while training both sides to go farther, faster. Every connection request coming through the event app makes me smile. I am taking the red-eye back to Boston Friday night so I can stay for founder office hours alongside other investors.
Why? Because just a few short years ago THIS DID NOT EXIST. There was no platform for hundreds of women to gather and share experiences and guidance on how to route more and better resources to women founders. There were few forums where a woman with wealth could learn how to direct her money toward women-led businesses. It was nearly impossible to talk openly about the burdens of discrimination, or discuss the realities of business building while raising a family or caring for aging parents—something that women do often without much support or compensation.
That this event happens each year, and gets bigger each time, gives me hope for the future… A future where there’s many different kinds of entrepreneurial experiences, valued in their own way.
At RevUp we invest into great founders. Just happens that lots of them are women, people of color, and others—including dudes—who are building business without the perks of privilege.
I know there has been a lot of blowback on “diversity.” I don’t care. Blow all you want. Democratizing entrepreneurship isn’t just a moral imperative, it’s economically necessary and a matter of national security—we need more, not fewer, successful entrepreneurs to compete globally and solve the most pressing challenges we face as a species.
For the record, I am glad that most startup events are not gendered. But I am glad that some are. And this week, I am especially grateful to have made it long enough to participate in this one!
Hope to see you there—and if you are coming as a founder and think we might be a good fit for your company, hit me up!
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How We Invest
We built RevUp to invest into B2B and B2C companies ascending the $1M-$10M growth curve. We know from experience—and from the stellar performance of our portfolio—that this curve can be conquered. But, having the right resources and support along the way is critical to success.
RevUp combines non-dilutive investment with hands-on support to help companies build stronger, more scalable infrastructure for growth. And, we do it using a non-dilutive model. Our goal? Give companies the best shot at success while preserving founder equity, optionality, and autonomy.
For more info on how we invest check out the video below or go here.
Our Model
We invest into B2B and B2C companies with revenue traction, a solid growth rate, and a strong team. Our companies are:
In market, selling, and ready to grow to $10-15M in revenue in the next few years.
Producing $500K - $3M in annual revenue.
On a path toward profitability. Burning isn't always bad, and there's nothing wrong with investing into growth. But getting your company to a place where you can hold your own is a good place to be.
Beyond this, we invest into companies with:
A strong leadership team with proven execution ability.
A product or service that the world wants and needs.
Diversity throughout. Since 2018, 70+% of RevUp investments have been into companies led by a woman or person of color.
Most importantly, we select for companies where we add unique and strategic value. If we don’t, we aren’t the right investor.
More About RevUp Capital
RevUp Capital invests in B2B and B2C companies that are revenue-driven and ready to double down on growth. We deploy cash and capacity to help companies grow from $1-3M to $10-30M, quickly and efficiently, using a revenue-based model. Companies enter our portfolio with $500K-$3M in revenue, a strong growth rate, and a team that’s ready to scale. Our typical investment range is $300K-$500K.
More at www.revupfund.com