NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Golden Seeds, an early-stage angel investment firm that champions and funds women-led startups, has reached a historic milestone: reaching $150 million in total investments in its effort to transform angel investing and achieve gender parity in entrepreneurship. Launched in 2005, Golden Seeds has financed more than 200 companies, which have gone on to raise more than $1.5 billion of total capital, demonstrating the incredible momentum of women entrepreneurs and the commitment of those investors who want to reshape the investment landscape.
In 2004, only 3% of all companies that received startup funding were led by at least one woman. By 2020, that percentage had jumped to 30%. Despite this progress, underfunding of women is leaving at least $3 trillion out of the global economy, with one recent Harvard Business Review study suggesting that it could add as much as $5 trillion to the global GDP.
“We’re celebrating the vision, grit, and determination of our investors who understood early the vast opportunity represented by women-led companies, as well as the women entrepreneurs who have emerged as leaders in every field, from healthcare to enterprise technology to consumer products and service, while of course recognizing there is still much work to be done,” said Loretta McCarthy, Golden Seeds Co-CEO and Managing Partner.
Golden Seeds was an early leader in the movement to back women-led companies. One of the largest angel investor networks in the country, nearly 1,000 investors have been part of Golden Seeds in capitalizing on these early-stage companies since Golden Seeds was launched in 2005. In 2020, Golden Seeds was the second-largest angel group in terms of investment, and the third-largest in terms of numbers of companies funded, according to the Angel Resource Institute.
“Golden Seeds is one of more than 250 angel groups across the country and one of the only ones to reach such a historic milestone in raising early-stage capital. The fact that it was all for women-led companies makes it that much more remarkable,” said Pat Gouhin, CEO of the Angel Capital Association, the professional society of angel investors.
Golden Seeds offers angel investors the opportunity to participate on due diligence teams; invest in promising startups; attend training sessions, national forum meetings and syndication events; and join meetings in any of the organization's chapters throughout the U.S. Golden Seeds’ growth over the past 15 years includes launching eight chapters across the country, including Arizona, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, New Jersey, New York, and Silicon Valley.
“As a first-time founder, I was impressed by Golden Seeds' dedication to funding women-led businesses for so many years,” said Minna Song, CEO and Co-founder of MeetElise, the first company to tackle rising housing costs with AI. “Beyond that, Golden Seeds has helped us every step of the way as a mentor and investor -- from guiding us in who to include in funding rounds, to selecting the right partners, to welcoming us into its vast network.”
Additional resources:
- Read the Golden Seeds blog.
- Follow Golden Seeds on Twitter.
- Follow Golden Seeds on LinkedIn.
- Like Golden Seeds on Facebook.
About Golden Seeds
Golden Seeds pursues investment returns through the empowerment of women entrepreneurs and those who invest in them. The group was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in New York City, with active chapters in Arizona, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, New Jersey, New York, and Silicon Valley. One of the largest angel networks in the United States, Golden Seeds has invested more than $150 million in over 200 companies. Additionally, the organization has a relationship with three funds with committed capital of $36 million. For more information, visit http://www.goldenseeds.com/.
