With funding for female founders still dismally low, female investors can make a difference

When Ankita Vashistha began making angel investments in Singapore, India, and the U.S. more than a decade ago, she was struck by the dearth of female founders–a problem that persists to this day. In the U.S., female-founded startups still garner only 2% of venture capital funding.

This led her to launch her first fund in 2015 and StrongHer Ventures two years ago, both focusing on early stage startups that are either founded by women or cater to female consumers–the first such funds in India, according to Ankita. StrongHer invests in founders primarily in the U.S., U.K., India who are building companies in fintech, healthcare, future of work, consumer, and Web3. 

Along the way, Ankita sharpened her investment skills by participating in 500 Global’s venture education program. You can listen to her journey into venture capital and how she hopes to make a difference on this episode of the Rise of the Next.

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