Investors now prioritizing portfolio diversity – Di Cicco

The capital-raising environment can be particularly challenging for women, but the investing community and startup ecosystem can benefit from a two-pronged approach: advocacy and intentionality. This was the statement of Tina Nepomuceno-Di Cicco, the Gender Lens Investing Committee Chairperson of Manila Angel Investors Network (MAIN), the Philippines’ largest network of angel investors, in the recently concluded FoundHer Forum, organized by a Filipino-based women-led inclusion studio, Imaginable Impact.

Di Cicco highlighted that advocating for and intentionally supporting women-led businesses will encourage more women to succeed and attract and grow investments.

According to Di Cicco, advocacy involves communicating the vision and goals, promoting and supporting each other’s businesses, while intentionality is turning advocacy into action by putting resources into investing in women and helping make women-led businesses succeed.

Despite the gender gap remaining a pressing issue, investments on women entrepreneurs are growing in Southeast Asia. Data indicates that female-led startups raised $1.41 billion in equity funding in 2023, which accounts for 18 percent of capital raised in the region. This is a 12.6 percent increase from the previous year.

MAIN, through the support of the Australian Aid’s Investing in Women program, employs Gender Lens Investing (GLI) to maximize investment potential in women-led businesses.

Through the GLI, MAIN provides extensive support to women-led startups, especially those at the early stage, in terms of capital allocation, training, and mentorship. To date, more than 40% of the startups that MAIN members have invested in are female-led.

Di Cicco noted that investors are prioritizing portfolio diversity, with many incorporating gender lens investing strategies. She underscored investors’ intent to address gender disparity through their investment choices.

“This is the time for women founders. We are being sought. We are more visible. There is no better time to be a woman than now,” Di Cicco added.

MAIN, composed of more than 120 angel investors, aims to increase the number of female investors in the Philippines by diversifying their own membership. MAIN is also a member of the Gender Lens & Impact Investment Council (GIIC), a member-based industry body that seeks to build the gender lens and impact investment ecosystem in the Philippines.

The FoundHer Forum is a signature event series elevating the conversation on investing in female founders, to bridge the capital gap for women in the startup ecosystem. Aside from MAIN, FoundHer Forum was made possible in partnership with KMC Solutions, a leading provider of flexible office space requirements and co-working space for emerging businesses in the Philippines.

The investing community and startup ecosystem can benefit from a two-pronged approach: advocacy and intentionality. Advocacy involves communicating the vision and goals, promoting and supporting each other’s businesses, while intentionality is turning advocacy into action by putting resources into investing in women and helping make women-led businesses succeed.

Investing in women-led businesses is not just a matter of social responsibility; it is also a smart investment strategy. Studies have shown that companies with gender diversity in leadership perform better financially. By investing in women-led businesses, investors can not only help bridge the gender gap but also potentially earn higher returns.

Moreover, investing in women-led businesses can also contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. By investing in women-led businesses, investors can help promote gender equality and empower women, which can lead to positive social and economic impacts.