The significant role that women play in the global economy is one of the factors driving growth in this area, says Dr Julia Newton-Howes, CEO of Investing In Women, a fund of funds that provides financing to impact investors who provide capital to women-owned and women-led small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
According to Newton-Howes, the capital needs of women-run SMEs typically fall into the US$250,000 to US$2 million category for various investment ticket sizes. She reiterates that the motivation for gender-focused strategies is frequently inspired by the demands of clients such as asset holders and capital providers.
“We are witnessing a groundswell of global interest in investing in women, whether from the recently launched US$1 billion Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative and US Overseas Private Investment Corporation 2X’s US$350 million initiative, or funders such as the Gates Foundation (US$170 million) and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation’s Investing in Women Fund (US$100 million),” says Newton-Howes.
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