We spoke with our Tech Associate, Ajay Rayasam, and our Life Science Associate, Margalit Haber, for their perspectives on how best to initially interact with VCs. While some of their insights were similar, as with all individuals in the venture capital space, they did have differing opinions.
As 2019 came to a close, Pitchbook presented some deceptive data: VCs had invested a record high $17.2 billion in US-based startups with at least one female founder. While impressive upon first glance, look at these numbers from a different perspective: US-based startups that were founded solely by females only made up 6.7% of all VC deals and 2.7% by total capital invested. These percentages are all-time highs, but still very low compared to their male counterparts. And, what do the numbers look like for female academic founders? What can universities do to foster more female entrepreneurship?
This workshop will focus on teaching you how to help investigators focus their technology disclosures, funding pitches, and other presentations on the three key factors crucial to gaining interest and commitment: commercial potential, technical merit and investigator willingness to assist.