Less than 10% of venture capitalists are women; only 13% of angel investors are women; and less than 6% of venture-backed businesses are women-led.
Those are just the numbers.
The stories behind the statistics are even more compelling. There's sometimes anger, but usually it's a makeshift mask for the deep sadness that women feel (and I include myself) as we wonder why our dreams aren't created equally.
Then I arrive home.
Photo credit: Peter Werkman
And it's a given.
My husband dares to me to dream — ever and always.
Rarely am I grateful.
Though I'm becoming more so.
As I meet women who are ready to dare, and the men in their life, frequently the gatekeepers (including the husband) aren't quite there. I remember, oh yes, my husband, is.
My 11 yr-old daughter gets this view of the world too.
Will she want to start and invest in businesses — I don't know: her dreams are her own.
What I do know is that her father, one of the most important gatekeepers in her life, is opening the door to her possibilities.
For that, I am — always and ever — grateful.
To my wonderful husband, and to all door-opening men everywhere — Happy Father's Day!
***
How are the men in your life teaching you to dream? Some may be showing you how, some may be making it difficult — there is so much to learn, isn't there?
For more on the topic of investing in women and women investing, see I Look for Women Founders Because It's an Advantage featuring @500 Start-ups' Dave McClure, Racism and Meritocracy by Lean Start-up guru Eric Ries, Weekend Imagination Igniters by leadership thinker Wally Bock, and Why Technology Needs Women by Anil Dash.