Alante Team: Tess Krasne, Lisa Bougie, Leslie Harwell, Karla Mora, Breana Teubner, Kate Levin, (not pictured, Jordan Goldfarb)

By Karla Mora

On this International Women’s Day I reflect on how grateful I am to work alongside this incredible group of women! We are only as good as the company we keep and let me tell you, this company is pretty great.

Fast Company recently reported that only 4.9% of VC partners are women and of that percentage, women of color make up less than 1%. They shared “In the past five years, 73% of all women-led funds have been founded. Of these, around 90% of women-led funds are considered emerging funds. Most are in the process of either raising their initial fund or are poised to raise Fund II in the next 1-2 years.” Let that sink in. Women are so underrepresented that they have to create their own firms, and leap over the high hurdles of being an emerging manager, just to break into this field.

In this environment, it’s no wonder that in 2022 only 1.9% of VC funding went to all-women led companies, and 17.2% to teams led by at least one woman. This industry can do better… it all comes down to how you build your investment pipeline... and it’s time for this industry to cast a wider net.

Alante Capital welcomes entrepreneurs of all backgrounds and proactively works to have an inclusive pipeline. Our commitment is that at least 50% of our pipeline companies are led by individuals from historically underrepresented groups. We will invest in the best-in-class companies, and with an inclusive pipeline, we believe this policy will result in an inclusive portfolio. To date, 100% of our portfolio includes individuals from underrepresented group in executive leadership positions, 73% include female founders with 55% being companies led by an all-female founding team.

We define underrepresented people as: Women, Nonbinary, Black, Hispanic/Latin American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Persons with Disability(ies), LGBTQI+, and/or an Immigrant. We track our pipeline weekly and have consistently found that 66% of founders in the pipeline come from underrepresented backgrounds. When we see this number go down it’s our job to make sure we are reaching out beyond our network, ensuring that founders know how to find us… and we make ourselves accessible. Our apply page on the website makes sure that we can be reached regardless of if the founder knows someone we know. We consciously remove internal bias in investment decision making process… I’d certainly rather see someone with a thought-out idea, understanding of the customer/problem, and proven ability to work hard, than just a credential from an Ivy league university or investment bank… we are certainly not perfect in removing the barriers to entry in venture capital, but we are trying, constantly evolving, and committed to doing better.

I reflect on where we are today.
73% of the companies in our portfolio were founded by women. Today we take a moment to celebrate them, acknowledge the hills they climb, and admire the grit, ingenuity, and spirit they bring to their work. It’s our absolute honor to partner with these phenomenal founders.

Meet the women leading the exciting technologies enabling a sustainable and circular future for the apparel and home goods industries!