An article in Forbes by Geri Stengel cites tremendous growth in the number of women angel investors as well as the growing success of the women-led companies spurred by their investment. One of the angels quoted is Joanna Drake Earl, who has participated in AWESOME symposiums and who was involved in launching the AWESOME web site.
According to the article, more than one in four angel investors – venture capital decision-makers who support seed-stage companies — is now a woman. Many of these have backgrounds in the tech industry, as does Drake Earl. With experience as a serial Silicon Valley entrepreneur and executive with social media and entertainment companies, including Al Gore’s venture Current TV, Drake Earl is now with Core Venture Group.
In the article, Drake Earl is quoted as saying, “Women pitch smaller than men do,” explaining that they’re more tentative and rely heavily on numbers. What’s needed, she suggests, is for the entrepreneur to capture the imagination of investors with her big vision.
The article also says that in 10 years, New York City tech companies with at least one woman on the leadership team have grown from 42 to 457 and have attracted more than $3 billion in investments.
See Joanna’s profile in AWESOME Women Behind the Scenes