What GenderSmart does

GenderSmart was a global field-building initiative dedicated to unlocking the deployment of strategic, impactful gender-smart capital at scale. Founded in 2018 in London, the organization served investment professionals — including impact investors, institutional investors, family offices, fund managers, and sustainability-focused investors — by providing education, frameworks, metrics, tools, and networking opportunities to integrate gender analysis into investment processes for better social and financial outcomes. Its product portfolio comprised annual Global Summits, a Virtual Programme, the Capital Connect investor-investee matching initiative, a Video Library, Delegate Resources, and a Learn Platform, alongside partnerships such as the Generation Equality Forum collaboration.

The organization operated on a field-building rather than commercial model, with no disclosed pricing or revenue mechanics; its operations were supported by a small team of 1-10 employees. Distribution was global and primarily digital via the website, supplemented by convening events such as the 2019 Women Deliver participation and the 2021 Generation Equality Forum partnership. Co-founders Darian Rodriguez Heyman and Suzanne Biegel led the initiative through its independent years (2018-2022).

In January 2023, GenderSmart merged with 2X Collaborative to form 2X Global, unifying two leading gender-lens investing organizations into a single global entity and ending GenderSmart's independent operations. The combined organization is positioned as the preeminent body for gender-smart capital deployment worldwide, continuing GenderSmart's mission under a consolidated structure.

Name

GenderSmart

Website

https://gendersmartinvesting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GenderSmart was a global field-building initiative that provided education, networking, and deal-matching infrastructure to help investors integrate gender analysis into investment processes. Founded in 2018 in London, it merged with 2X Collaborative in January 2023 to form 2X Global.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gender-Lens Investing Education and Convening

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD)

Keywords

• Gender-lens investing
• Impact investing education
• Investor convening
• Sustainable finance resources
• Gender-smart capital deployment

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

GenderSmart was a global field-building initiative that convened and educated investment professionals on integrating gender analysis into investment processes. It delivered programming through an annual Global Summit, virtual educational programmes, a Capital Connect investor-investee matching platform, a Video Library of recorded sessions, and Delegate Resources including toolkits and frameworks. The initiative has since merged with 2X Collaborative to form 2X Global.

Product overview

GenderSmart was a global field-building initiative dedicated to unlocking the deployment of strategic, impactful gender-smart capital at scale. It operated as an educational and convening platform offering a portfolio of interconnected programs: the annual Global Summit and Virtual Programmes for community building and knowledge sharing; Capital Connect for investor-investee matching; a Video Library for on-demand learning; Delegate Resources for toolkit access; and the Generation Equality Forum Partnership for intersectional equity initiatives. In January 2023, GenderSmart merged with 2X Collaborative to form 2X Global, continuing the mission under a unified organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GenderSmart Global Summit Annual flagship conference bringing together investors and practitioners to advance gender-smart investing, featuring sessions on best practices, case studies, and networking opportunities.
• Virtual Programme Online programming offering webinars, workshops, and educational content on gender lens investing topics for delegates who cannot attend in-person events.
• Capital Connect A matching platform connecting gender-smart investors with investees seeking capital, facilitating deal flow and co-investment opportunities.
• Video Library On-demand repository of recorded sessions, panels, and educational content covering gender-smart investing frameworks, metrics, tools, and case studies.
• Delegate Resources Educational materials, toolkits, and resources provided to event participants including investment process metrics, best practice guides, and implementation frameworks.
• Learn Platform Educational hub providing guidance on gender-smart investing, including frameworks for making the case to investment committees, process metrics, tools, and intersectional equity approaches.
• GenderSmart at Generation Equality Forum Collaborative initiative bringing an intersectional equity lens to gender lens investing, with focus on co-investors in care economy solutions and regional technical assistance.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 2X CollaborativeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023GenderSmart merged with 2X Collaborative to form 2X Global in January 2023. This was a significant strategic combination that unified two leading gender-lens investing organizations into a single global entity, creating the preeminent body for gender-smart capital deployment worldwide.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN): GIIN is the leading global membership organization for impact investors, offering research, events, and the IRIS+ metrics system — comparable to GenderSmart's role as a field-builder and convening platform, but at a much broader scale.
• US SIF (Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment): US SIF is the US membership association for sustainable and impact investing professionals, providing education, research, and policy advocacy — analogous to GenderSmart's education and field-building focus but spanning the full sustainable-investing universe.
• Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI): PRI is the UN-backed network of signatories committed to responsible investment, providing ESG frameworks, training, and convening — comparable as an institutional field-builder influencing investor practice.

Others

• Calvert Impact Capital: Calvert Impact Capital is a US impact investing intermediary and fund manager using gender and DEI lens criteria in its portfolio — adjacent ecosystem participant that both shapes and consumes gender-smart investing practice.
• British International Investment (BII): BII (formerly CDC Group) is the UK's development finance institution with active gender-lens investing programs and the 2X Challenge — a peer institutional investor using similar gender-smart frameworks as GenderSmart promoted.

Emerging players

• Value for Women: Value for Women is an advisory and research firm that helps investors and companies integrate gender-smart investing strategies, overlapping with GenderSmart's intersectional gender lens investing advisory work.

Direct peers

• 2X Collaborative: 2X Collaborative was the gender-lens investing industry body that merged with GenderSmart to form 2X Global; it operated the 2X Challenge and 2X Criteria frameworks addressing the same investor and fund-manager audience.
• 2X Global: 2X Global is the entity formed by GenderSmart's January 2023 merger with 2X Collaborative; it is the direct successor and operates the same gender-smart investing field-building mission, products, and global community.
• Criterion Institute: Criterion Institute is a US-based field-builder focused on gender lens investing, providing training, frameworks, and analysis to investors — closely overlapping with GenderSmart's educational and advocacy role.
• Women's World Banking: Women's World Banking is a global nonprofit focused on women's financial inclusion and gender-smart investment in financial services, targeting institutional investors, asset managers, and DFIs with similar gender-lens investing education and research.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gendersmartis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about GenderSmart