Gender Lens Investing

Women face unique barriers to get the financing they need to grow their businesses. Studies show women-led companies get a small proportion of available equity investment, even though companies with at least one female founder perform significantly better than those with all male founder teams.

The financing gap for women-owned SMEs does not just affect women — it affects entrepreneurship, investment and economic growth across nations and economies. According to the International Finance Corporation, SMEs make up 98% of all businesses and provide jobs for 66% of the labour force in Asia; women-owned SMEs represent 31 to 38% of all SMEs in emerging markets. Closing the financing gap will help businesses and economies grow, while enabling impact investors to capitalise on this significant market opportunity.

Investing in Women partners with industry players to increase capital providers’ demand for funds that invest with a gender lens, catalyse the supply of financial instruments tailored to the needs of small women-led or -owned businesses, and invest in the growth of SMEs that disproportionately benefit women through a ‘fund of funds’ strategy. We work in partnership with Australian Development Investments (ADI), DFAT’s impact investment facility.

Investing in Women aims to equip investors globally with the knowledge, business evidence, and practical tools to expand financing to SMEs that disproportionately benefit women.