Recommended resources from our women founder community
Recommended resources from our women founder community
Words Founders Factory
March 8th 2024 / 8 min read
If men and women participated equally as entrepreneurs, it's predicted that global GDP would rise to 6%, raising the global economy by $5 trillion. Companies with female founders have also been found to perform 63% better than those of their male peers.
VC is certainly improving. In 2023, women-founded companies accounted for about 25.8% of investment, up from 15% in 2022. And yet, we still have a long way to go with regards to reaching gender parity.
While female founders continue to break down barriers, they are up against general bias and prejudice that exists in society, not to mention the difficulties faced with childcare. Clearly, more needs to be done.
As part of International Women's Day, some of our female founders have generously recommended the resources and good reads that have inspired them the most. Many of these may be useful for male founders too!
Our Top 5 Recommendations
It's a long list, so here's something to get you started:
1. Book: It's About Damn Time by Arlan Hamilton
Recommended by Nathalie Walton, co-founder & CEO at Expectful
2. Article: The Glass Cliff
Recommended by Eva Berg-Winters, founder & CEO at Bewica
3. Podcast: Dare to Lead with Brene Brown
Recommended by Sara Perkins, co-founder & CMO at Caper
4. Network/Community: Femstreet
Recommended by Katharina Sommerkamp
5. Newsletter: Ada's List
Recommended by Pippa Harman, co-founder Renude
Investment & fundraising
Ada Ventures (link)
Investment for typically overlooked founders and markets
Pink Salt Ventures (link)
Pre-seed investors backing female-led startups
Alma Angels (link)
Network of angel investors passionate about investing in and support women founders
Women in VC (link)
Network of women in venture capital to connect, collaborate, and create new opportunities
HERmesa (link)
Angel syndicate which gives women a seat at the table to invest in extraordinary women (co)founded startups
Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund (link)
Pre/seed fund backing female founders
January Ventures (link)
VC fund with two female founding partners with focus on equal opportunities in tech
Playfair Capital Female Founder Office Hours (link)
Initiative to make warm introductions for female founders to investors
Reading
Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer (link)
Cialdini’s 7 Principles of Influence (PDF)
The Glass Cliff (Fast company.com)
Dear Female Founder by Lu Li of Blooming Founders (link)
What venture capitalists can learn from ‘racist’ rats by Waverly Deutsch (Chicago Booth Review)
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"This is an article from my favourite entrepreneurship professor, Waverly Deutsch. The most helpful takeaway for me was the objective, data-driven validation of what I'd experienced as a female founder but never had the basis to explain. Ultimately, even if the problem stands, it is useful to know that we're not crazy, we're not alone, and we have advocates and allies."
It's About Damn Time by Arlan Hamilton (link)
The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick (The Mom Test)
Becoming by Michelle Obama (link)
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (link)
"I co-founded a startup in my 50s" (The Wot Pod)
Time Budgeting your 168 Hours a week (Notion)
Sequoia’s COVID-19 Matrix, (Notion)
"A strong scenario tool is key in helping any founder adapt to unpredictable situations, even more so during unprecedented times like a worldwide pandemic."
Recommended by Marie Chevrier, Founder & CEO Sampler
La 25eme heure - Les Secrets de Productivité de 300 Startuppers (link)
"Unfortunately, I don't think it has been translated but if you understand some French it is really worth it. The book shares tricks from 300 startup founders on how to save time on everything. It's really relevant for multi-tasking women."
Recommended by Helene Lucien, Co-founder Makezu
Working Hard, Hardly Working by Grace Beverley (link)
Notes on productivity and reducing stress by Grace Beverley, founder of TALA
Europe’s female startup leaders to follow on LinkedIn (link)
"My #1 tip would be to build a "bro-cus" group! Back when we were first pitching Riviter we found that we simply were not landing with male investors. I recall one debate between a male investor and a female investor where the male investor said, "But how many handbags are there at Nordstrom anyway? 5?" — to which the female investor replied in our defense, "Um, try FIVE THOUSAND." Before our next presentation, we assembled a "bro-cus" group of our male friends, and finally landed on a use case that resonated with them."
– Andi Hadisutjipto, Co-founder & CEO of Riviter
Podcasts
BeautyStack (beautystack.com)
"Interviewing female founders on business & beauty"
Think fast, talk smart by Stanford Business (gsb.stanford.edu)
Optimal Living Daily Podcast (Old Podcast)
"Since becoming a founder, I've enjoyed the Optimal Living Daily Podcast. The podcast has nothing to do with how to scale a business, but it has these wonderful life hacks to make the most of minimal bandwidth."
Recommended by Nathalie Walton, Co-founder & CEO Expectful
Masters of Scale by Reid Hoffman (Masters of Scale)
Recommended by Dr Hannah Allen, Co-founder Tinto
Happy Place by Fearne Cotton (officialfearnecotton.com)
"For keeping it grounded and self care"
Recommended by Sara Perkins, Co-founder & CMO Caper
Dare to Lead with Brene Brown (brenebrown.com)
"Hey girl" by Alex Elle (Apple Podcasts)
"Alex Elle gives the mic to great women who share their stories - this gives me breath and helps me feel a part of the world of sisterhood."
Recommended by Helene Lucien, Co-founder Makezu
How to Fail by Elizabeth Day (Apple Podcasts)
Conversations with influential people about things in their lives that haven’t gone right
Ctrl Alt Delete with Emma Gannon (Apple Podcasts)
“An unconventional career podcast” - looking at how our interests shape the work we do
What i’ve Learned by Ariana Huffington (Apple Podcasts)
The prominent founder speaks to people she admires across music, tech, sports, and more
Elevating Founders (Apple Podcasts)
For early stage-founders to hear the stories behind the change makers and disruptors in the tech sector
"The most powerful resource I've come across as a female founder is the wisdom of other female founders! Women interact differently. Perhaps because we're often focused on woefully underserved markets, we tend to ignore the competition and focus instead on shaping a new space where we can all thrive. My mantra in business interactions with other female founders is 'together, we rise'. So reach out to a female founder you admire. I pretty much guarantee they'll be generous with their time, insight and counsel. And, when someone earlier in their journey contacts you, you'll do exactly the same thing."
– Rebekah Brown, Founder & CEO MPowder
Rebekah shares how she launched her meno-tech startup and lessons for fundraising as a female founder here.
Networks and communities
Femstreet (femstreet.com)
"The community is very supportive and has been great to gather resources to build, launch and grow ventures. Members are mostly VCs, founders and startup operators, so it's also a great place to meet potential investors and future employees"
Recommended by Katharina Sommerkamp, Building a venture in our Studio, currently in Stealth
Ada's List (adaslist.co)
Recommended by Pippa Harman, Co-founder Renude and Sara Perkins, Co-founder & CMO Caper
"We put so much pressure on ourselves as women to present a tough exterior in business but its important to have a safe space where you can be vulnerable and learn."
– Kendall Bird, co-founder & CEO Frame
Sie Ventures: a capital platform that supports the most promising female founders on their fundraising journey (sie.ventures)
Recommended by Saloni Bhojwani, Co-founder of Sei and Venture Associate at Founders Factory
Black Ballad (link)
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A UK lifestyle platform telling the human experience through the lives of Black women. "We elevate the voices of black British women through content, community and commerce."
"There is a tendency of women to only promise what they are certain they can 100% deliver. The problem is that we get compared to male founders that often set stretch targets much higher and over-promise in an investor or B2B Sales environment. We should not be shy when it comes to setting targets. If you aim high and only get to 70% that is still a huge achievement so don't undersell yourself and don't always aim for perfection."
– Julia Brucher, co-founder & Co-CEO WOVN
Recommendations from our friends at Femstreet
January Ventures Network (january.ventures)
All Raise (allraise.org)
Recommended by Sarah Nöckel, founder of Femstreet and Investment Manager at Northzone
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Newsletters
Lolita Taub's Newsletter (lolitataub.substack.com)
Recommended by Katharina Sommerkamp, Building a venture in our Studio, currently in Stealth
Femtech Insider (femtechinsider.com)
Recommended by Maya Hardigan, Founder & CEO Mae
The Broadsheet (link)
Fortune’s newsletter for and about the world’s most influential women
The Skimm (link)
News and newsletters aimed at millennial women
Ada's List (adaslist.co)
Not Boring (notboring.email)
"Really interesting takes on business strategy and product using real world examples"
Recommended by Min Ong, CTO Nate
As Lucrezia Bisignani (Founder & CEO of Kukua) puts it, "Female founders, never take no for an answer, there's always a way around it."
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