Rare Commodity

FROM ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE

How some women are working hard for the money.

By Aliza Pilar Sherman Entrepreneur Magazine - February 2008

Could a little more estrogen in the VC mix bode well for women? According to the Center for Women's Business Research, women owned the majority share of 7.7 million firms in U.S. businesses in 2007, employing more than 7.1 million workers and generating $1.1 trillion in sales.
Yet female entrepreneurs received an average of only 4.6 percent of available VC funding between 1997 and 2004, according to the Center.

So how are female entrepreneurs doing today? "Although the percentage of women seeking venture capital money has not greatly increased, the quality and experience of women who lead venture-backed companies is extraordinary," says Jeanne M. Sullivan, general partner of StarVest Partners LP, a VC firm. "They know that competition is keen, and they have to 'run with the bulls'--run fast, run hard."

Marian Sabety spoke with 177 VC firms before accepting $2.5 million in angel funding. She believes being female affected her experiences with the VCs. "I have 25 years' experience successfully doing business in the technology industry, so I'm used to the dynamics of a man's world. I remain mystified, however, that in 177 VC meetings, I only met one woman at the table--and even then, she was mum," says Sabety, president and CEO of Wyndstorm Corp., an online marketing and promotions firm based in Washington, DC. To counter these barriers, Sabety is looking into getting a loan against receivables and using other venture instruments.

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