The way Anna Sweeting, founder of the U.K.-based investment firm The Equity Studio, sees it: “Money is power, and we shouldn’t be shy to talk about that.”
So she said at the 2025 WWD x FN x Beauty Inc Women in Power conference, in conversation with Jefferies’ managing director of beauty and wellness investment banking, Sasha Radic, moderated by WWD senior beauty editor Kathryn Hopkins.
“Women dominate consumption from a purchase-decision perspective; we make up 80 percent of creators with more than 50,000 followers on social media platforms, and we are going to be dominating social commerce,” she continued.
And yet, “the [gender] disparity in funding is still present at the very start.”
Indeed, while women founders have historically received a fraction of the funding of their male counterparts, the landscape today looks increasingly precarious. In 2024, Pitchbook reported the share of total VC deal value for start-ups with a female cofounder dipped for the first time since 2020.
“While women get very little funding, they are exceptional operators. They are exceptionally successful when they do get capital — more successful, even, than men,” said Radic, adding, “what has given me a little bit of optimism is the success [women founders] have been having at exit.”
In 2014, just 1 percent of IPOs were led by women, a figure that rose to 9 percent in 2024. The importance of knowing how to navigate and strike a deal, however, comes into play long before an IPO.
“Selling a company is extremely personal,” Radic said. “Think of a negotiation as a problem-solving opportunity — what do you want from a value perspective? What levers are you willing to trade? How can you think creatively around finding solutions to transactional problems?”
Added Sweeting: “When you’re starting out, you can think you need to be very bullish and strong, and actually, you don’t need to be the loudest in the room. Being precise, having conviction in what you’re saying and listening deeply — you can learn a lot more from what’s not said than what people are saying. We must not be afraid to do things a big differently.”
Money must be paired with mentorship in order to be effective, though.
“That [combination] is where the change really happens,” Sweeting said. “Once women are funded, they can go far — but if women don’t get that start they need, they’re more likely to stop whereas men may continue. And I think that’s where mentorship comes in — knowing you’re not alone and that others have been through this, can make a difference.”
As for what’s drawing investors today, “financial foundations are more important than ever,” said Sweeting, adding that businesses with “slow, intentional growth rather than fast growth,” are the kinds piquing interest now.
“The market has opened up — the transactions that are getting done are for companies that are extremely profitable, have a clear position in the market and are category leaders in their space,” said Radic, adding she is expecting to see “a lot of activity” through 2026.
#Female #Founders #Attract #Negotiate #Capital
