The51 Competitors

Golden Seeds is an investment firm dedicated to pursuing market returns through the empowerment of women entrepreneurs and the people who invest in them. The group was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in New York City, with active chapters in Arizona, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New Jersey, and Silicon Valley, and active members throughout the country. Golden Seeds’ Angel Network has grown to become one of the largest in the country with nearly 300 members nationwide. All companies that apply for funding are evaluated, and many proceed through due diligence and receive extensive guidance from Golden Seeds investors. In total, Golden Seeds has invested just over $200 million in more than 270 companies through its angel network and its venture funds. Moreover, the firm and its investors have provided important leadership in this investment sector.

Girls Who Invest (“GWI”) is a non-profit organization founded in April 2015 dedicated to increasing the number of women in portfolio management and executive leadership in the asset management industry. Our benchmark for success is to have 30% of the world’s investable capital managed by women. This goal is in sharp contrast to 2014, a year in which less than 10% of the world’s investable capital was managed by women. We will focus on education, industry outreach, accessibility and career placement to achieve our mission. At GWI, we aim to create programs to inspire and support young women to become tomorrow’s leaders. By completing GWI’s rigorous program, talented and motivated women will be well prepared to enter the industry across all asset classes including public and private equity, fixed income, credit, hedge funds, real estate, infrastructure, and to be skilled allocators of capital.

INVESTING IN HIGH-PERFORMING, WOMEN-LED COMPANIES Currently investing from Astia Fund I - a $32M Series A/B fund that is sector and geography agnostic. For twenty years, Astia has carved a unique path to source, screen and invest in the top performing companies. Astia’s proprietary Expert Sift™ deal sourcing and screening process is a robust, data-driven methodology that uses best-in-class tools and wisdom-of-the-crowd techniques to eliminate bias. To successfully address the intersectionality of race and gender, Astia established a clear focus on investing in women of color. Grounded in deep domain expertise, exceptional investment performance, a belief in the value of women as leaders and a proprietary investment process, Astia invests via a family of funds. Throughout its twenty years, Astia has paved the way for investors to align human values with investment rigor. Understanding the fundamentals of change, Astia has built an institution to last. Through a variety of investment vehicles, Astia enables investment at all stages of private company growth. With an acute understanding of the unique challenges of high-growth, Astia ensures portfolio success. We are entrepreneur-centric and hands-on. By investing with Astia, Limited Partners expand their legacy of impact. Founded by tech pioneer Catherine Muther in 1998, Astia has never wavered from its fundamental commitment to level the investment playing field. Still today, less than 10 percent of VC investments are made into companies that include even one woman leader. We believe in investment as a force for change.