My name is Susan Wilson and I created FundHer in an effort to DO something! As a FORTUNE Top Ten Entrepreneur, I know first-hand entrepreneurship offers women the fastest route to economic independence and wealth. But I also know that path is FAR from easy. In fact, it's probably the opposite of easy!
Women are starting companies but they're tiny. We can debate the reasons but the reality is there aren't many female role models. Yes there are powerful women in business but the truth is few (if any) started their own companies as a means of earning their power.
My hope is FundHer gets us thinking creatively and solving for solutions (vs. answers). The world has changed and we need to experiment to see what works. Ten years ago, it took $2 Million to fund a successful startup. Five years ago, it was $1 Million. Today, $50,000 has the same impact.
What prompted the idea? I bought a heifer for one woman and realized I'd bought her economic independence as well so I continued exploring giving programs and went on to fund a female entrepreneur in Afghanistan. With only $100, she was able to start her own company. I immediately wanted to do something closer to home. I started researching and found tons of great training and mentoring programs for women. But I couldn't find an organization with a similar initiative that focused exclusively on funding women in the United States...so I created one.
I knew it would take more than $100 in the U.S. but with the evolution of crowdfunding, I sensed an opportunity to give ordinary people the power to do something extraordinary. So I reached out to my friends and family and asked them to do the same and within a year, ten female entrepreneurs received funding. And now we're launching a national crowdfunding campaign to get a million people to give at least $1 with 100% of the proceeds directly funding female entrepreneurs. With investments up to $50,000 per startup, that's a lot of new companies and new jobs.
Who gets funded? You decide. Whoever gives gets to vote.
Fingers Crossed!
P.S. FundHer isn't about me but feel free to learn more About.Me Profile. Post a note, ask a question or tweet me @FundHer.
