Our goal is to inspire positive action by first, encouraging venture firms to take the first step of committing an incremental dollar amount to be invested into women-founded companies.
We found that this exercise requires venture firms to take stock of their existing portfolio and pipeline; examining what needs to change to truly harness the full potential of women-founded companies by investing in them. Some of our partner funds have, in turn, built specific women-focused initiatives arising from their pledge, robust mechanisms from “Fast-track programs” for women-founded deals to removing the pitch process altogether— resulting in not just a more gender-diverse portfolio, but one that is delivering outperformance, that they now track with our support.
To date, more than $ 1 billion has been pledged by more than 100 venture firms across the globe, demonstrating the joint commitment to invest meaningfully into women-founded companies.
For our impact: read Our First Billion.
To be eligible to pledge;
(1) You must first have closed on at least 10% of your stated target fund size
(2) Have a dedicated fund structure deploying in the asset class of venture capital
To pledge click here.
The crux of the pledge is the following:
We pledge to allocate an estimated $____________ in women-founded companies and/or firms/funds that invest in them* through 2026, by leveraging the network of Beyond The Billion™ (“BTB”) & The Billion Dollar Fund for Women™ (“TBDF”).
By signing this document, we grant to BTB, TBDF and its representatives and employees the right to use the logo (as provided), to publish our company name, quote, and success story on BTB’s website.
Further, we pledge, in the performance of our duties as an investor, to the best of our ability:
(1) Ensure that women-founded companies and/or firms/funds that invest in them are included in our deal flow and highlighted to our investment committee;
(2) Increase our overall investment in women-founded companies and/or firms/funds that invest in them, by the target amount we have specified by 2026, and continue to re-invest in them over the decade;
(3) Commit to providing constructive feedback to women-founded companies and/or firms/funds that invest in them who pitch to us and are declined; and
(4) Commit to sharing the BTB initiative with others in our network for a multiplier effect.
We reserve the right to cancel the above at any time by providing 30 days written notice, which will be reflected in new campaign materials. We hereby certify to the best of our knowledge, the compliance in all material respects with applicable securities regulations, but in no way hold BTB responsible for our representations.
Over 100+ funds,
across 5 regions and a rapidly growing community of LPs
Éric Legault
“Since launching our initial fund of funds more than a decade ago, Teralys is proud to have been supporting firms across sectors and geographies with senior-level women leaders amongst its ranks. Sofinnova Partners is an example of a leading international life sciences firm, with half of its managing partnership comprised of women. Canada-focused McRock Capital and Quebec-based Cycle Capital are both founded and led by women who are actively involved in supporting the next-generation of female entrepreneurs rise through the ranks. Teralys is proud to be a signatory of the Beyond The Billion pledge.”
Elodie Dupuy
“We are data-driven people; show me data that supports the thing and we’ll do it. If you look at data on diverse teams, it’s overwhelmingly a good idea. Signing Beyond The Billion’s pledge was a no-brainer, and we’ve been so grateful for their continued support on our fundraising journey and as we continue to build our firm.”
Magnus Grimeland
“We recognize Antler’s potential to support women in startup ecosystems globally. The Beyond The Billion pledge quantifies our commitment, uniting us with a global consortium of VCs to invest in women-founded companies and boost funding for women-led innovation”
Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes
“Being one of the few Black and woman-owned funds in Africa, I strongly believe we need more women as capital allocators to close the gender gaps in society. We can already see the natural trickle-down effect of women in our portfolio and the enhanced financial return and multiplier effect. I am excited to take this pledge to showcase the unrealized asset class of women investors and founders”
Samantha Wong
“We know that phenomenal founders can be found anywhere. That’s why we back the hungry, not the proven. But we also know that venture funding hasn’t always reflected this reality. Disproportionately, startups founded by men secure more venture funding, relative to those founded by women. We think this should change, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because a more gender-diverse fund means we’re accessing the full market for talented founders, resulting in a higher chance of generational returns. We’re thrilled to be a pledged fund of Beyond The Billion.”
