Female Founders Fund
Female Founders Fund is a New York-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2014 that invests $500K-$750K seed checks in technology companies with at least one female founder, managing $140 million across five funds and operating a community platform including a podcast, annual retreat, and CEO summits.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Female Founders Fund does
Female Founders Fund (FFF) is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2014 by Anu Duggal and headquartered in New York City. The firm invests at seed and pre-seed stages in technology companies with at least one female founder, writing checks of $500,000-$750,000 and completing 6-8 new investments per year on a 4-6 week decision timeline. Across five funds, FFF has raised a cumulative $140 million in committed capital, with the most recent Fund IV closing at $29 million in December 2025.
The firm concentrates investments in five verticals: Digital Healthcare, AI-First Vertical Software, Beauty & Personal Care, Pet, and Deep Tech. Beyond capital deployment, FFF operates a platform layer including the "Two Percent" podcast, the Camp FFF annual retreat, CEO Summits, quarterly press dinners, FFF Voices editorial site, and curated founder resources covering fundraising, term sheets, hiring, and go-to-market strategy. The portfolio spans 100+ companies and has produced three nine-figure exits — Billie (sold to Edgewell Personal Care for $310 million), Eloquii (to Walmart), and BentoBox (to Fiserv) — with Fund I achieving full capital return to LPs in October 2024 after a 10-year hold.
Revenue derives from standard VC fund mechanics: management fees on committed capital and carried interest on profitable exits. Anchor limited partners have included Melinda French Gates via Pivotal Ventures, Ingeborg Investments, Bumble Fund, Anne Wojcicki, and Katrina Lake. The firm is led by a six-person team combining founding-partner leadership with institutional hires from Meta, a16z, Goldman Sachs, Alpaca VC, and Fiserv.
Female Founders Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Female Founders Fund
- Legal name
- Female Founders Fund
- Website
- https://femalefoundersfund.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Female Founders Fund is a New York-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2014 that invests $500K-$750K seed checks in technology companies with at least one female founder, managing $140 million across five funds and operating a community platform including a podcast, annual retreat, and CEO summits.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Female Founders Fund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Early-Stage Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds (FSANAJAM), Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)
Keywords
Where Female Founders Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Female Founders Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Fund Management: FFF generates revenue through traditional VC fund mechanics including management fees (typically 2% on committed capital) and carried interest (typically 20% of profits above the hurdle rate) from successful portfolio exits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Seed investment check sizes |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Female Founders Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Female Founders Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in technology companies founded by women, primarily at the seed stage with check sizes of $500K-$750K. The firm manages $140 million across five funds and invests in companies across digital healthcare, AI-first vertical software, beauty and personal care, pet, and deep tech sectors. Beyond capital, FFF provides a community ecosystem including a podcast, annual retreat, CEO summits, and founder resources.
Product overview
Female Founders Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2014 that provides investment capital (typically $500K-$750K checks at seed stage) to female-founded companies. The firm has raised five funds totaling $140 million under management. Beyond capital, FFF offers a comprehensive ecosystem including The Two Percent podcast (educational content on female entrepreneurship), Camp FFF (annual summer retreat for founders), CEO Summits and events, and curated resources covering fundraising, hiring, term sheets, and leadership. The firm focuses on five investment sectors: Digital Healthcare, AI-First Vertical Software, Beauty & Personal Care, Pet, and Deep Tech.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Two Percent: A podcast by Female Founders Fund inspired by the fact that historically less than 2% of venture capital funding has gone to female founders.
- Camp FFF
Products and services
- Female Founders Fund Investment Funds Early-stage venture capital fund investing in category-defining companies founded by women, with check sizes ranging from $500K-$750K at seed stage. FFF has deployed across five funds and targets Digital Healthcare, AI-First Vertical Software, Beauty & Personal Care, Pet, and Deep Tech sectors.
- The Two Percent Podcast A podcast featuring exclusive interviews with seasoned entrepreneurs and rising stars changing the technology industry, available on all major streaming platforms and YouTube. Named after the fact that less than 2% of VC funding goes to female founders.
- Camp FFF Female Founders Fund's flagship annual summer retreat for female founders, featuring top female founders, CEOs, and innovators designed to foster community and share knowledge.
- FFF Voices Content platform featuring exclusive interviews with female founders and research dives on areas of focus including funding trends and market analysis.
- CEO Summits & Events Regular events for portfolio founders including CEO Summits, Female Founders in AI, Female Founders in Climate Tech, and B2B sales workshops featuring industry leaders and leadership content.
- FFF Resources Curated resources for founders covering fundraising and pitching, term sheets, hiring, go-to-market strategy, board meetings, and leadership development.
Quantifiable outcome
- Companies with female founders perform 63% better than those with only male founders (First Round Capital 10 Year Review)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Female Founders Fund
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Female Founders Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability11 records
Female Founders Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Female Founders Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BBG Ventures: BBG Ventures is a seed-stage fund led by Susan Lyne that invests in companies with at least one female founder. It is the most direct comparable to FFF in fund size, stage, and female-founder thesis.
- Halogen Ventures: Halogen Ventures is an early-stage fund investing in female-founded consumer and enterprise companies. It shares FFF's female-founder lens, seed-stage check sizes, and consumer/tech sector focus.
- SoGal Ventures: SoGal Ventures is a global early-stage fund backing diverse founders, with a strong female-founder focus. It overlaps with FFF in thesis, stage, and cross-border (US-London) deployment.
- Phenomenal Ventures: Phenomenal Ventures is an early-stage fund led by Meagan Loyst focused on female and underrepresented founders. It directly competes for the same female-founder deal flow and LP relationships as FFF.
- Cleo Capital: Cleo Capital is an early-stage fund led by Sarah Kunst focused on female founders and other underestimated backgrounds. Comparable in stage, check size, and thesis orientation.
- Lerer Hippeau: Lerer Hippeau is a NYC-based seed-stage fund that has co-invested with FFF (e.g., The Six Bells). Comparable in stage, geography, and emerging-manager profile, though without FFF's female-founder thesis.
- MaC Venture Capital: MaC Venture Capital is a seed-stage fund that has co-led rounds with FFF (e.g., Taya). Comparable in stage, check size, and emphasis on culturally diverse founders.
Broad incumbents
- Forerunner Ventures: Forerunner Ventures is a consumer-focused early- and growth-stage fund led by Kirsten Green. It is comparable as a female-led VC firm with a strong consumer/retail track record, though at a larger AUM and later stage.
- Sequoia Capital: Sequoia is a leading generalist VC firm and frequent follow-on investor into FFF portfolio companies. It is comparable as an LP/prospective LP and as a co-investor in FFF-backed rounds.
- Lightspeed Venture Partners: Lightspeed is a multi-stage VC that has invested in FFF portfolio companies (e.g., Maven Clinic). It is comparable as a follow-on capital source and as a benchmark for later-stage participation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Female Founders Fund social profiles
Digital presenceFemale Founders Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Female Founders Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Female Founders Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Female Founders Fund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments138 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Female Founders Fund
What does Female Founders Fund do?
Female Founders Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in technology companies founded by women, primarily at the seed stage with check sizes of $500K-$750K. The firm manages $140 million across five funds and invests in companies across digital healthcare, AI-first vertical software, beauty and personal care, pet, and deep tech sectors. Beyond capital, FFF provides a community ecosystem including a podcast, annual retreat, CEO summits, and founder resources.
Is Female Founders Fund a public or private company?
Female Founders Fund is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Female Founders Fund founded?
Female Founders Fund was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Female Founders Fund based?
Female Founders Fund is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Female Founders Fund make money?
One revenue line is on record: fund Management.
Who are Female Founders Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BBG Ventures, Halogen Ventures, SoGal Ventures, Phenomenal Ventures, Cleo Capital, Lerer Hippeau and MaC Venture Capital. Broad incumbents are Forerunner Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Does Female Founders Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Female Founders Fund.
What industry is Female Founders Fund in?
Female Founders Fund's product category is Early-Stage Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B), with a secondary code of FSANAJAM, Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds. Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6282.