The inaugural Women & Wealth, a virtual event for female entrepreneurs and investors with a focus on education, connection and inspiration, is scheduled May 20 from 1-6 p.m. CST.
Keynote speaker Arlan Hamilton, founder and Managing Partner of venture capital firm Backstage Capital, will discuss the landscape and importance of women investing in women. Or, in the words of her book title, It’s About Damn Time:How to Turn Being Underestimated Into Your Greatest Advantage. Her story is remarkable, an entrepreneur who built a venture capital fund from the ground up while homeless.
“Venture capital decision-makers overwhelmingly are men. They overwhelmingly invest in all-male teams. Since 2004, women-led companies have ‘jumped’ from 3% to 17% of all angel investments,” said Brandy O’Quinn, assistant director at TechFW.
“It’s imperative that we change that narrative. Bringing together female entrepreneurs and investors for education and inspiration hopefully creates a dynamic that strengthens the connection points and ultimately increases the dollars invested in women-led ventures.”
The Women & Wealth afternoon is packed and powerful, filled with successful female investors and entrepreneurs who will share insights and stories about key moments, hurdles and decisions along their journeys.
Hamilton’s Backstage Capital is dedicated to “minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women and/or LGBT.” She started it in 2015, has raised more than $15 million and invested in approximately 175 companies. Since 2018, Backstage has started accelerator programs in Los Angeles, Detroit, Philadelphia and London, and launched Backstage Crowd, a funding platform giving access to the best diverse VC deal flow. She also hosts a popular podcast, Your First Million.
TechFW has assembled an all-star lineup of female business leaders during the afternoon schedule, including an entrepreneurs pitch / investors analyze session, and leading speakers, including:
- Laura Baldwin, Managing Director at Golden Seeds: Let’s Talk Real Numbers & Investor Lingo
- Elyse Stoltz Dickerson, co-founder and CEO of Eosera, Inc.: The Art of Pitching
- Amanda Micallef, co-founder and President of Arsenic: Building a Supportive and Engaged Board of Directors
- Heli Prilliman, founder and CEO of Lacquerbar: Be the Change – Beware of the Biases
- Oana Manolache, founder and CEO of Introvoke, the host platform: What It Takes to Get to Market
During another session, female members of Cowtown Angels, Golden Seeds, True Wealth Ventures, Satori Capital and a handful of successful entrepreneurs will host simultaneous Table Talk discussions. Attendees will choose their small groups to join and have conversations about entrepreneurship and investing.
The afternoon concludes with a Women & Wine mingling session, and meeting rooms will remain open until 8 p.m.
Tickets are $15. To register:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/women-wealth-tickets-91219799877
The inaugural Women & Wealth is presented by TechFW, with partners Cowtown Angels, Texas Woman’s University – Center for Women Entrepreneurs and Texas Women’s Foundation.
Learn more:
https://www.techfortworth.org/women-and-wealth