‘Feminine Founder Workplace Hours’ launches throughout MENA — led by Playfair Capital and International Ventures
- Version VIII would be the largest occasion but with over 400 girls founders and 150 VCs from throughout the UK, Europe and MENA
- Over £480m has been raised by firms attending one of many earlier editions
- 5,230 mentoring periods for girls founders delivered since October 2019 with assist from Google for Startups, Tech Nation and Phrases + Pixels
London / Dubai, 26 September 2022:
Playfair Capital and International Ventures have immediately introduced the launch of ‘Feminine Founder Workplace Hours’ throughout MENA — with 150 of the world’s main enterprise capital funds, together with: Atomico, Balderton, Creandum, EQT Ventures, Firstminute, Localglobe, Northzone, Notion and Seedcamp — internet hosting digital mentoring periods for over 400 girls founders from throughout MENA, the UK and Europe on tenth November 2022.
Launched in London in 2019, Feminine Founder Workplace Hours breaks down limitations to funding for feminine entrepreneurs, notoriously underserved by the worldwide funding group. Every founder meets 4 traders nearly for one hour to debate their expertise and enterprise mannequin, ask for recommendation, pitch for funding or discover a mentor. The founders meet a mixture of native and worldwide traders to obtain a various perspective on the enterprise they’re constructing and to broaden their community.
The occasion is being hosted by Playfair Capital, with the assist of Dubai-based International Ventures, Tech Nation, Google for Startups and Phrases + Pixels. The earlier seven editions noticed a complete of 5,230 particular person mentoring periods, with 1,307 founders and 200 traders collaborating. Up to now, 32% of founders have gone on to boost £480m of funding after attending an occasion, with success tales together with Apryl, Freyda, HIVED, Vira Well being, Opply, Sixfold Bioscience and SymTerra.
The eighth version is a part of an ongoing and long-term dedication to redress the gender imbalance in fundraising, and consists of enlargement to MENA to have interaction and assist the subsequent technology of girls founders all over the world.
Chris Smith, Playfair Capital’s Managing Associate, commented:
“The underrepresentation of girls founders in enterprise capital funding is a worldwide downside. We’re, due to this fact, delighted to be increasing the initiative we began within the UK, again in 2019, to MENA. This can be a area filled with unbelievable expertise and promise. But, apart from a comparatively small variety of pioneers, it’s a area missing the widespread assist required for girls who need to construct globally important firms. This occasion permits us to attach these girls founders at scale, wherever they’re situated within the area, to native and worldwide traders to construct new relationships, discover new mentors and, finally, safe funding.”
Sacha Haider, Associate at International Ventures, commented:
“Growing the pipeline of feminine founders has been entrance of thoughts for regional capital allocators for a number of years now, so it’s actually thrilling to see high VCs from the ecosystem collaborate for the primary version of Feminine Founder Workplace Hours in MENA. Whereas the ecosystem has made necessary strides in recent times, with 35% of tech companies being based by feminine entrepreneurs in MENA, there may be nonetheless a lot of work to be performed. Feminine Founder Workplace Hours goals to create entry to capital and construct a group of traders for regional feminine founders. Variety of management and thought are necessary components shaping the way forward for MENA’s entrepreneurial panorama — feminine founders are a key a part of that.”
Yasmin Almostehy, MEVCA Govt Director, commented:
“We’re seeing booming curiosity in feminine founders within the area, and the VC ecosystem is coming collectively on many fronts to launch initiatives that particularly goal feminine founders. IFC analysis has proven that feminine founders within the MENA area obtain lower than 10% of all personal fairness and enterprise capital funding. And it’s time we tackle this with impact-yielding initiatives, corresponding to this one. We’re completely happy to assist Playfair Capital, International Ventures, and your entire ecosystem in contributing to the correction of the gender hole within the area.”
Lauren Nicholson, Tech Nation, commented:
“Founders’ Community is as soon as once more proud to be collaborating within the eighth version of Feminine Founder Workplace Hours. It’s been a privilege to assist assist 1,300+ girls founders during the last three years to participate within the 5,230 one-to-one mentoring and pitch conferences that Feminine Founder Workplace Hours has facilitated. We’re proud to be part of their start-up journey and are wanting ahead to welcoming the brand new 400+ feminine founders, and women-led groups, who will be part of us within the November Version and to seeing the place the occasion takes them.
The eighth version can also be an opportunity to have fun the continued enlargement of our Feminine Founder Workplace Hours initiative into new areas, from Europe to the Center East and Northern Africa and to supply extra feminine founders the chance to develop and scale their companies by supporting them on their fundraising journey.“
For extra data and to make an software to attend the occasion please go to: http://playfaircapital.com/ffoh/
-ENDS-
UK press contact: Nick Braund, Phrases + Pixels. [email protected] / 07766 015 256
MENA press contact: Johanna Lawson-Dick, Thoburns. [email protected] / 07539 031 841
Notes to Editors:
About Playfair Capital
Playfair Capital is an early-stage fund that commits to firms early and with conviction. Based mostly in London, Playfair combines the perfect facets of angel investing with a centered fund, to put money into really bold founders, wherever they’re on the planet. Playfair takes a sector-agnostic method and investments span deep tech, SaaS, marketplaces and B2B firms. We’ve backed the founders of greater than 70 firms together with Mapillary (acq. Fb), CryptoFacilities (acq. Kraken), Omnipresent, Orca AI, Ravelin, sprout.ai, Thought Machine, Trouva and Vinehealth.
About International Ventures
International Ventures is a global enterprise capital agency, investing in founders and concepts scaling throughout the Center East and Africa. International Ventures backs global-minded founders which can be main growth-stage firms and utilizing expertise to remodel rising markets and the world. Portfolio firms embrace: Abhi, Altibbi, Improve Health, Hive, Helium Well being, Paymob, Proximie, Pyypl, Pink Sea Farms, Sympl, Tarabut Gateway, Staff Apt, and Zid.
Extra data will be discovered at https://www.international.vc/
About Tech Nation
Tech Nation fuels the expansion of game-changing founders, leaders and scaling firms to allow them to positively remodel societies and economies. We offer them with the teaching, content material and group they want for his or her journey in designing the longer term. Our present mission is to unlock the expansion potential of 1000 scaling tech management groups throughout the UK by 2022. We need to contribute to a future during which anybody with imaginative and prescient and drive can entry the abilities and assist wanted to succeed as a game-changing chief.
About Google for Startups
Google for Startups works to stage the enjoying area for startup founders and communities to succeed by bringing the perfect of Google’s merchandise, connections, and greatest practices to startups. Paired with a deep dedication to create numerous startup communities, lots of our choices are designed particularly to offer underrepresented founders with entry to sources and alternatives. We assist startups all over the place to construct one thing higher. As a result of when startups succeed, all of us succeed.
About Phrases + Pixels
Phrases + Pixels is a London-based PR company that specialises in working with Europe’s main scaleups. Sector agnostic, W+P companions with progressive manufacturers aiming to disrupt their trade in the course of the essential hyper-growth interval.
Having labored with the likes of Lime, AirBnB, Again Market and lots of different startup success tales, W+P’s group is uniquely centered on producing influence that makes a distinction to firms constructing for achievement.A bootstrapped three-year previous enterprise itself, W+P introduced over £1 billion in funding in 2022, and was named Small PR Consultancy of the 12 months.
