Money Where Our Mouths Are (MWOMA) is the first data-driven investigation into funding gaps for female entrepreneurs in the AgriFood-Tech industry.
In 2017, female-founded companies across all industries received 14% of venture capital dollars, $19.8 billion of the $145.6 billion in total investment.
In 2018, investment dollars into tech companies with at least one female founder reached an all-time high: $38.9 billion, double what it was in 2017 and a 380% increase on 2014 levels.
But that 2018 figure still represents a mere 17% of investment overall.
Why is it so difficult for women—including women on the front lines of addressing the most pressing issues related to agriculture, food, and climate change—to raise money for their enterprises?
Data & Research
However you slice the data, funding levels to female founders are too low. Dig into our proprietary research here.
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We organize and advise events, not only to discuss solutions for female entrepreneurs, but also to ensure appropriate female representation on speaking panels.
Karen Karp is an enlightened entrepreneur and respected consultant with over 30 years of experience. She has led KK&P as Founder and President to become the nation’s leading problem-solver for agriculture and food-related enterprises, programs and policies. Karen holds a BFA (Sculpture) from Parsons School of Design and received honors for her University of Bath School of Management Masters thesis, “How Does Food Sustain Us?” which explored how leaders convey and impart their personal food values within their organizations, and how these communities are then transformed through food. Karen’s home is on the North Fork of Long Island where she farms oysters.
Louisa is head of Media & Research for online VC AgFunder and chief editor of AFN, covering the foodtech and agtech industry. She has covered a range of financial products and markets during her career, from equity capital markets in Asia to structured bonds in Europe, before turning her attention to food and agriculture over six years ago. She’s also been responsible for launching two publications: an institutional investment intelligence service for the Financial Times and the first-ever title focused on agriculture investment, Agri Investor, for PEI Media. Louisa is also a contributor to Forbes.
Kate is the editor of The Counter, an award-winning nonprofit newsroom, where she leads a team of eight reporters and editors. Before joining The Counter, she covered the American age boom for radio and text as a freelance health reporter. She has written extensively about end-of-life issues, elder incarceration, and the plight of living organ donors. In 2014, she reported and produced The Hidden Crisis, a three-part radio documentary about the nation’s first emergency shelter for victims of elder abuse. Kate has been a contributor to The Nation, The Guardian and Huffington Post.
MWOMA is a not-for-profit initiative funded by the founders and our sponsor partners. Donor or sponsor funds cover project assistant expenses, marketing to raise public awareness of the issue, including speaking engagements at global conferences, and the production and publication of research reports and whitepapers to facilitate the conversation. We can accept grants and donations. Supporters will be acknowledged on all media platforms and materials related to MWOMA.
Or make recommendations and introductions to seed and growth VC firms’ directors (men and women), agriculture and food entrepreneurs, philanthropists and impact investors, bankers, academics (gender studies, entrepreneurship, e.g.), and agriculture and food company executives who manage R&D and external investment activities.
Advisors will be asked to assist with focus and strategy for achieving the project goals, facilitate introductions to funders or interviewees, and review interim outputs.
The best way to expand the network of women entrepreneurs and get our research in front of interested stakeholders is to host a conversation. Whether it’s a luncheon, summit, panel, roundtable, or something we haven’t thought of yet, we can work with you to create and facilitate an event that will brings the right people together and ignites change.
