Meghan says she wants to continue to “uplift other female founders” and is looking to expand her portfolio by investing in more female-founded companies: “That is very, very important to me because they are so under-resourced and under-supported.”
Meghan, who spoke during a live interview at the Time 100 Summit in New York on Wednesday, did not specify how many companies she plans to back or whether her investments will be focused on certain industries or stages. She has previously invested in consumer companies, like haircare and wellness brand Highbrow Hippie and vegan instant latte brand Clevr, and in women’s health startups like Midi Health, a virtual care platform for women in perimenopause and menopause.
Meghan is in good company. In recent years, other high-profile women like Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Chelsea Clinton, and Alex Morgan have all become startup investors and used their platforms to highlight the early-stage companies and founders in their portfolios. Plus, that additional dose of capital will come at an opportune time for female founders. Last year, companies with at least one female founder made up 22.7 percent of all venture capital deals, the smallest share in five years, according to data from Pitchbook. Startups with entirely female founding teams fared much worse, capturing less than 2 percent all deal value.
Founders who score the Duchess of Sussex as a backer will be learning to scale their business along with her. “As any entrepreneur will tell you, every day is full of surprises,” said Meghan. “In the business of building, they’re not all these delightful surprises, but they are great teachable moments.”
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