Women's Association of Venture & Equity

What Women's Association of Venture & Equity does

Women's Association of Venture & Equity (WAVE) is a nonprofit membership association founded in 2003/2004 and headquartered in Stratford, Connecticut. Its mission is to advance women in the investment industry through high-engagement events, networking, and professional development. WAVE operates across the full spectrum of the alternatives industry — venture capital, private equity, growth equity, real estate, hedge funds, distressed investing, direct lending, private credit, and impact investing — serving women at every career stage from undergraduate and graduate students (particularly HBCU students) through C-suite executives and encore-career professionals.

WAVE's product portfolio is built around signature events (Power Dinners, the invitation-only Journey Forward Conference, Insight Day, Office Hours with LPs, Picnic & Paddle summer outings, golf events, and Leave Your Heels at the Door networking sessions), a members-only job board, a member directory, and 12 regional chapters across major US financial hubs. The organization complements its own programming with discount partnerships to major industry conferences (ACG, Kayo, CAIA, Exponent Women, AAAIM). The underlying technology stack is a conventional association platform — a CMS-based website with a member portal, event registration, and job board — without disclosed proprietary AI, API, or application features.

WAVE's business model relies on three revenue streams: (1) individual membership dues priced at $150 (1 year), $280 (2 years), and $400 (3 years), which the organization states cover approximately 25% of its overhead; (2) event registration fees from both members and non-members, with member discounts; and (3) annual corporate sponsorships from financial services firms such as Banc of California, Choate, and Winston & Strawn. With 1-10 staff, a volunteer-driven chapter structure, and no disclosed external funding, WAVE operates as a lean, community-supported association rather than a venture-backed entity.

Name

Women's Association of Venture & Equity

Legal name

Women's Association of Venture & Equity

Website

https://women-wave.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WAVE is a nonprofit membership association founded in 2003 that advances women in the investment industry through curated networking events, a 12-chapter US footprint, a job board, and professional development programming spanning venture capital, private equity, and alternatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newtown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees that cover approximately 25% of organizational overhead costs. Membership provides access to discounted event registration, the membership directory, industry visibility, speaking opportunities, and exclusive registration fee discounts to major industry conferences.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from hosting signature events including Power Dinners, Insight Day, The Journey Forward Conference, Picnic & Paddle outings, Leave Your Heels at the Door events, Office Hours with LPs, and regional golf events. Events are open to both members and non-members with discounted pricing for members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WAVE is a nonprofit membership-based association that hosts high-engagement networking events and provides professional development resources for women across the investment industry. Its core deliverables include annual membership subscriptions, signature events (Power Dinners, Insight Day, Journey Forward Conference, Office Hours with LPs), an industry job board, and a nationwide network of 12 regional chapters. Members also receive discounted registration to major industry partner conferences.

Product overview

WAVE is a nonprofit membership-based association offering a portfolio of networking and professional development products centered around high-engagement events for women in the investment industry. The core offering consists of membership access combined with signature event series (Power Dinners, Insight Day, Journey Forward Conference, Office Hours with LPs, golf events, and summer outings), a job board, and a nationwide network of 12 regional chapters. Members receive discounted registration to major industry partner conferences. The organization serves women at all career stages from undergraduate students to C-suite executives across the venture capital, private equity, and alternative investment sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WAVE Membership

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Alpine Capital AdvisorsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2026WAVE partnered with Alpine Capital Advisors for the 2nd Annual Cantina: Chicago, a three-day charity investment and technology conference at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The event featured LP-led programming and networking with up to 28 curated one-on-one meetings.
• Association of Asian American Investment Managers (AAAIM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAAIM is a national non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders in investment management. WAVE collaborates with AAAIM to deliver expanded value to members of both organizations, supporting diversity in the investment industry.
• ACG New York, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACG New York is the premier association for middle market dealmaking professionals. The ACG NY Women of Leadership (WOL) Network specifically focuses on facilitating connections between women leaders. WAVE works with ACG to provide programming and networking opportunities.
• CAIA AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCAIA Association is a global professional credentialing body for alternative investments. WAVE members receive a 10% discount on CAIA exam session registration fees as an Association Partner benefit.
• Exponent WomencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExponent Raises Women Dealmakers by providing access to an ecosystem delivering meaningful interactions and actionable content. WAVE partners to provide members access to one of the largest collectives of senior women dealmakers.
• Kayo Conference SeriescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWAVE partners with Kayo Conference Series offering exclusive registration fee discounts to Kayo events including Private Equity Summit, Sustainable Investing Summit, and Real Estate Summit.
• Mergers & Acquisitions (themiddlemarket.com)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerM&A covers middle-market dealmaking and provides WAVE members with special pricing on subscriptions and coverage of women in private equity including the annual Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A.
• Rock The Street, Wall Street (RTSWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRTSWS is a financial and investment literacy program designed to spark interest in finance careers among high school girls. WAVE supports RTSWS mission to address the gender gap in financial services and fill the talent pipeline.
• Banc of CaliforniacoreOthersAnnual sponsor of WAVE events and organization.
• ChoatecoreOthersAnnual sponsor of WAVE events and organization.
• Winston & StrawncoreOthersAnnual sponsor of WAVE events and organization.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• CAIA Association: Global credentialing body for alternative investment professionals that partners with WAVE to offer members a 10% CAIA exam discount. Complementary rather than competitive; serves the same audience but via certification rather than networking.
• National Venture Capital Association (NVCA): Primary trade association for the U.S. venture capital industry. Represents many of the GP funds in WAVE's network but does not focus specifically on women's networking; broader and segment-specific rather than community-of-interest.
• Kayo Conference Series: Producer of industry summits including the Private Equity Summit, Sustainable Investing Summit, and Real Estate Summit. WAVE partners with Kayo for member registration discounts; serves overlapping audience via paid conference events rather than membership community.
• American Investment Council: Industry association representing leading private equity and private credit firms. Provides industry-level advocacy and data; the institutional counterpart to WAVE's women-focused networking layer.
• Rock The Street, Wall Street (RTSWS): Financial and investment literacy program introducing high school girls to finance careers. WAVE partners with RTSWS to address the gender gap in financial services; complementary pipeline program rather than a competing community.

Direct peers

• 100 Women in Finance: Global nonprofit membership organization for women in the finance and alternative investment industries, hosting networking events, education, and mentorship programs. Directly comparable to WAVE in mission, member base, and event-driven GTM model.
• National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC): Industry association representing diverse-owned private equity firms and institutional investors. Operates as a trade association for an underrepresented segment of the alternatives industry, structurally similar to WAVE's community-of-interest model.
• Association for Corporate Growth (ACG): Premier association for middle-market dealmaking professionals with a Women of Leadership (WOL) network that focuses on connecting women leaders. WAVE is an explicit ACG partner; ACG's middle-market PE/MA focus overlaps directly with WAVE's member base.
• Exponent Women: Network dedicated to raising women dealmakers via an ecosystem of interactions and content for senior women in private equity. Direct overlap with WAVE on senior-level women in alternatives; WAVE lists Exponent as a core partner.
• Association of Asian American Investment Managers (AAAIM): National nonprofit advancing Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in investment management. Operates as a diversity-focused investment industry association with programming and partnerships analogous to WAVE's model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/womens-association-of-venture-equity-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/waveassociation
• Facebookfacebook.com/waveassociation

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 Women's Association of Venture & Equity