Venture funding hit record levels in 2020 despite (or, perhaps, because of) the global pandemic. Virtually every industry — from healthcare to education to shopping — moved online, resulting in massive success for the startups innovating these spaces and, often, huge checks from VC firms looking to capitalize on the moment.
This success was not evenly distributed, though. All Raise, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, analyzed 2020 VC investment data finding that women and non-binary founders were hard hit, especially if they were Black or Latinx, and even backslid amid the pandemic. Funding for companies with at least one woman founder fell 2.5 percent in 2020, a big drop considering these founders already get just a fraction of the VC funding pie. Even when these companies did get money, the rounds were significantly smaller than the rounds male counterparts raised.
“Despite industry-wide promises, 2020 was a setback year for women and non-binary individuals. Headwinds stalled years of progress. We were asked to do more and emerged with less,” All Raise CEO Pam Kostka said in a statement. “Underrepresentation can’t be explained away anymore — no more boys clubs, no more manels, no more excuses. It’s time to hold each other accountable and to help women and non-binary individuals rise.”
In response, All Raise, which aims to accelerate the success of women and non-binary entrepreneurs, released a new series of online classes that provide insider training from leading women investors and founders. The material is free to access.
Classes cover everything from preparing for a Series A to executive recruitment strategies. The classes also feature insights from industry veterans like Sequoia Capital partner Jess Lee and Figma’s VP of Communications Nairi Hourdajian. In total, All Raise offers 15 hours of self-guided content, including five virtual modules and 36 lessons.
The series is intended to be a departure from the sort of nebulous, quick-tip model often found today. Instead, All Raise’s programming is designed to provide an intimate look at what it takes to run a tech startup, beyond what you can find in a Medium post or Twitter thread.
This news comes on the heels of what has been a busy year for All Raise. The nonprofit has ramped up its programming, raised some funding, and even launched a new database where journalists, event organizers and curious individuals can connect with women and non-binary funders and founders who are experts in their fields.
