Supporting Women-founded Companies to Close Gender Funding Gap: Steph Korey’s Efforts
The gender funding gap is a well-known issue in the business world. Despite the fact that women-led companies are just as successful as those led by men, they receive significantly less funding. This disparity is particularly pronounced in the tech industry, where women-led companies receive only 2% of venture capital funding.
Steph Korey, the co-founder and CEO of luggage company Away, is one of the many women entrepreneurs who have experienced this funding gap firsthand. When she was first starting out, she struggled to secure funding for her company, despite having a solid business plan and a clear vision for the future.
But instead of giving up, Korey decided to take action. She became an advocate for women-founded companies, using her platform to raise awareness about the gender funding gap and to encourage investors to support women entrepreneurs.
One of the ways Korey has done this is by speaking out about her own experiences. In interviews and public appearances, she has shared the challenges she faced as a woman entrepreneur and the ways in which she overcame them. By doing so, she has helped to break down the stereotypes and biases that can prevent women from receiving funding.
Korey has also taken concrete steps to support other women entrepreneurs. In 2018, she launched the #AwayFounders initiative, which provides mentorship and resources to women-founded companies. The program includes a series of workshops and networking events, as well as access to the expertise of Korey and other successful women entrepreneurs.
Through these efforts, Korey has become a leading voice in the movement to close the gender funding gap. She has shown that women entrepreneurs are just as capable and deserving of funding as their male counterparts, and that investing in women-led companies is not only the right thing to do, but also a smart business decision.
As more and more women like Korey speak out and take action, we can hope to see a future where the gender funding gap is a thing of the past. Until then, it is up to all of us to support women-founded companies and to help create a more equitable and inclusive business world.
