How Women Invest

What How Women Invest does

How Women Invest (HWI) is a venture capital firm founded in 2020 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, that invests exclusively in US-based, tech-enabled, 100% women-founded companies with a specific emphasis on women of color founders. The firm manages three sequential venture funds — Fund I ($10M, closed 2021), Fund II ($20M seed-stage fund, launched 2022), and Fund III (currently in fundraising as of 2026) — deploying check sizes of $100,000 to $500,000 at pre-seed through Series B. HWI sources deal flow, conducts due diligence, and supports portfolio companies through a structural sister-organization relationship with How Women Lead, which provides access to a 25,000+ member network of senior women executives and Fortune 1000 leaders.

HWI's platform extends beyond the funds to include a founder pitch intake portal, the How Women Inspire podcast, recurring leadership and angel/VC educational events (Get On Board Week, Monthly Angel & VC Events, Corporate Board Readiness Program), and original research products such as the Women, Wealth & the Capital Continuum 2026 Report and the 2022 Impact Report. The firm does not operate proprietary technology infrastructure beyond a Wix-based website; its differentiated capability is the curated How Women Lead network and a "GLI 2.0" (Gender Lens Investing 2.0) model that combines capital deployment with executive mentorship, ecosystem access, and operational support via a "weekly observer" assigned to each portfolio company.

The firm operates on traditional venture fund economics: management fees on committed capital across its funds plus carried interest on profitable exits. To date, HWI has deployed capital into 30 portfolio companies across Funds I and II, generating four exits (including Hitch's acquisition by ServiceNow in June 2022) and returning 35% of Fund I capital ($3.5 million) to limited partners. Its limited partner base comprises 140+ investors — 90% women, 54% women of color, and over 70% first-time fund investors — drawn to a $25,000 minimum commitment structured as 25% capital calls per year over four years, designed to lower the barrier to entry for new women investors in venture capital.

Name

How Women Invest

Legal name

How Women Invest

Website

https://www.howwomeninvest.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

How Women Invest is a San Francisco venture capital firm founded in 2020 that deploys seed through Series B capital into 100% women-founded, US-based tech-enabled companies via three funds ($10M, $20M, and a third in raise), leveraging a 25,000+ member women executive network for deal flow and LP acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds (FSANAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD), Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

Keywords

• Venture capital funds
• Women-led startup investing
• Gender lens investing
• Seed-stage venture funding
• Female founder capital

Headquarters

HQ city

San Rafael

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Venture Fund Management & Performance Returns: How Women Invest earns revenue through traditional venture capital fund economics: management fees on committed capital across Fund I ($10M) and Fund II ($20M), plus carried interest on profitable exits. To date, HWI has returned 35% of Fund I capital ($3.5 million) to limited partners across 4 portfolio exits.
2. Limited Partner Capital Commitments: Capital is committed by 140+ LPs (90% women, 54% women of color per Fund I data) with minimum commitments of $25,000, drawn down on a 25%-per-year schedule over the first four years of each fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

How Women Invest is a venture capital firm that manages dedicated funds (Fund I at $10M, Fund II at $20M, and Fund III currently in fundraising) investing in US-based, 100% women-founded technology companies from pre-seed through Series B at $100K–$500K check sizes, with a specific emphasis on women of color founders. The firm raises capital from accredited women limited partners and deploys it into portfolio companies while providing senior executive mentorship through its affiliated 25,000+ member How Women Lead network.

Product overview

How Women Invest (HWI) operates as a venture capital platform — not a single software product — composed of three sequenced investment vehicles (Fund I at $10M, Fund II at $20M focused on seed-stage, and Fund III currently in fundraising) alongside a stack of supporting offerings. The Funds are the core product: they deploy tech-enabled, US-based, 100% women-founded (with emphasis on women of color) venture investments from pre-seed through Series B at $100K–$500K check sizes, leveraging the 25,000-strong How Women Lead network for deal flow and diligence. Wrapping the Funds are adjunct offerings including the online Founder Pitch Intake Portal and LP/Investor FAQ, the How Women Inspire Podcast, recurring leadership and angel/VC events (Get On Board Week, Amplify Your Leadership, Monthly Angel & VC Events, Corporate Board Readiness Program), research products (Women, Wealth & the Capital Continuum 2026 Report; the 2022 Impact Report; How Women (and Men) Invest in Startups), the New Table campaign mobilizing 10,000 first-time women LPs, and the Investing in Women's Sports Symposium. Together, the Funds are the central revenue/return-generating product while the events, research, and community programs act as ecosystem, LP-acquisition, and thought-leadership modules that feed deal flow and limited-partner engagement into the underlying funds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• How Women Invest Fund I ($10M) A $10 million venture capital fund currently closed to new investments, with remaining capital reserved for follow-on. Invests in 100% women-founded US-based tech-enabled companies with an emphasis on women of color.
• How Women Invest Fund II ($20M seed-stage fund) A $20 million venture capital fund focused on seed stage companies, targeting tech-enabled, US-based women-founded businesses pre-seed through Series B with $100K–$500K check sizes, a preference for B2B commercialization, and a clear 5–7 year exit strategy.
• How Women Invest Fund III (in fundraising) Third venture capital fund currently being raised by How Women Invest, headquartered in San Francisco. Builds on Funds I and II which have deployed capital into 30 companies with four exits and 35% of Fund I capital ($3.5 million) returned to limited partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35% higher ROI on women-founded startups vs male-founded peers (Kauffman Foundation research)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• How Women LeadflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2020Sister organization that provides HWI with deal flow, due diligence, and a 25,000+ member network of senior women executives. HWI was created by How Women Lead's CEO Julie Castro Abrams. The relationship is foundational to HWI's identity, LP recruitment, and portfolio support model.
• Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-investor with How Women Invest in MyoGene Bio's $1.42 million funding round. PPMD brings 30 years of Duchenne research investment history ($55M invested, 8 FDA approvals secured) and direct patient relationships.
• Duchenne UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-investor with How Women Invest in MyoGene Bio's $1.42 million funding round; brings patient foundation credibility and access to UK patient networks.
• 125 VenturescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsor with How Women Invest of the Investing in Women's Sports Symposium (Feb 19, 2026 NYC), alongside Tipt Ventures and Monarch Collective; founder Lorine Pendleton is a featured speaker.
• Tipt VenturescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsor with How Women Invest of the Investing in Women's Sports Symposium (Feb 19, 2026 NYC), alongside 125 Ventures and Monarch Collective; co-founder Fielding Kidd Jamieson is a featured speaker.
• Monarch CollectivecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsor with How Women Invest of the Investing in Women's Sports Symposium (Feb 19, 2026 NYC), alongside 125 Ventures and Tipt Ventures.
• Trailblazer VenturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortfolio company IDA Sports, a soccer cleat manufacturer designed for female athletes, was originally backed by Trailblazer Ventures and is now a Tipt Ventures portfolio company; HWI references as part of women's sports investment thesis.
• Erika CramerflagshipOthersHow Women Invest General Partner; successful Latina VC described as bringing GLI 2.0 approach — not just investment but access and connections via a comprehensive ecosystem. Co-Managing Partner with Julie Castro Abrams since Fund I.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Monarch Collective: Venture and growth fund focused on women's sports; co-sponsor of HWI's women's sports symposium and a thematic peer in the women's-sports-as-asset-class thesis.
• 125 Ventures: Sports-focused fund co-sponsoring HWI's Investing in Women's Sports Symposium; overlaps in women's sports thesis but narrower sector mandate than HWI.

Direct peers

• Female Founders Fund: Early-stage venture fund investing exclusively in women-led companies; nearly identical mandate to HWI in targeting female founders across pre-seed and seed rounds.
• Halogen Ventures: Early-stage fund led by Jesse Draper investing in female-founded consumer and enterprise startups; comparable check sizes and explicit focus on women-led founding teams.
• Backstage Capital: Venture fund backing underrepresented founders including women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ teams; closely matches HWI's women-of-color emphasis and emerging-manager profile.
• BBG Ventures: Seed-stage fund investing in female founders building consumer and enterprise companies; shares HWI's pre-seed/seed focus and women-only founder mandate.
• Able Partners: Consumer-focused venture fund investing in female-led and values-aligned brands; comparable check size range and emphasis on women as both founders and LPs.
• Pipeline Angels: Network-driven angel investing platform for women and non-binary investors funding female founders; parallels HWI's community-led sourcing and accredited-women LP focus.
• Forerunner: Early-stage consumer fund with women-led leadership (Kirsten Green); comparable in brand authority and consumer thesis though larger AUM and broader founder mandate.
• Plum Alley Investments: Platform investing in women-led growth and venture opportunities; matches HWI's positioning around women-LP mobilization and values-aligned venture exposure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/invest_how
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/howwomeninvest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments14 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about How Women Invest