A Founder's Guide: 16 Top VC Firms in NYC Supporting Female Founders
Recent reports reveal a stark reality in the startup world: of the billions invested in 2024, less than 2% went to companies with all-female founding teams. While gender-diverse teams received around 15% of VC dollars and have been shown to outperform all-male teams financially, a significant funding gap persists.
At We Rule, we are dedicated to closing this gap. To help you secure the capital you need to grow, we've created a definitive list of 16 venture capital firms based in New York City. Each of these funds is either led by women or has a clear mandate to invest in businesses founded by women.
NYC Venture Capital Funds for Women
Here are the top VC firms in NYC that are actively funding female founders at the early stage, seed stage, and beyond.
1. AmplifyHer Ventures
We are opportunistic investors. 15% of VC dollars go to gender-mixed teams, even though those teams out-perform all-male founding teams by 63%. We don't see women as under-funded, we see them as untapped.
Women make up one in five C-Suite leaders and less than 5% of CEOs. Amplifyher arms outstanding women with the resources and capital needed to build their own C-Suites.
Investment Thesis: Views under-funded female founders as an untapped, high-potential market. Aims to provide the capital and resources for women to build their own C-Suites.
Focus: Opportunistic, generalist.
2. ANDAV CAPITAL
“Andav Capital is a New York-based venture capital firm investing in early stage FinTech and tech-enabled companies for above-market returns.
At Andav Capital, we are active partners to our portfolio companies, deploying our global network and cross-functional experience for capital efficient growth, de-risking our portfolio companies through substantial and symbiotic partnerships with management teams, and introducing prudent operational and corporate governance practices.
Our reputation as an accretive partner continues to attract proprietary deal flow and propel the best founders to seek our partnership, often allowing us to secure the most favorable investment terms and yielding best-in-class risk-adjusted economics for our Limited Partners.”
Investment Thesis: Acts as an active partner to portfolio companies, using its global network to de-risk investments and drive capital-efficient growth.
Focus: Early-stage FinTech and tech-enabled companies.
3. ASTIA ANGELS
Our thesis is that women matter, and that diverse teams outperform.
Astia invests in high-growth companies with women leaders, following their successful completion of our Expert Sift™ process.
We follow innovators rather than trends, and invest across a variety of industries. Astia Investment vehicles directly support our nonprofit mission to level the investment playing field.
Inclusive teams are more likely to succeed, and through Astia Fund, Astia Angels and Astia Edge, we provide the capital and networks required to get there.
Investment Thesis: Believes diverse, inclusive teams with women leaders outperform. Companies must pass their proprietary "Expert Sift™" process.
Focus: High-growth companies across various industries.
4. BBG VENTURES
BBG Ventures is an early-stage fund backing big ideas that will reshape the way we live. We focus on female founders who intuitively understand the dominant consumer, enabling them to address the collective or individual lived experience of the 99%. Female founders are poised to do giant things. We’re here to give them that first, crucial investment. Read more about BBG Ventures
Investment Thesis: Provides the crucial first investment for female founders with big ideas that address the lived experiences of the 99% consumer.
Focus: Early-stage consumer startups.
5. FEMALE FOUNDERS FUND
“In 2014, we created Female Founders Fund with one simple belief: women will build the companies of tomorrow. Since then, we’ve become the leading source of institutional capital for female founders raising seed capital with over $3B in enterprise value.
Female Founders Fund launched in 2014 to address this problem with an opportunity – an investment vehicle focused on investing the next generation of female talent. Over the last seven years, we’ve invested in category-defining female-founded companies like Eloquii, Zola, Maven Clinic, Tala, and so many more.
As female investors & operators, we are tracking cultural shifts and identifying opportunities with greater relevance, and with empathy for the founders’ unique journey and perspective. We believe our founders’ success will impact and shape the future of the technology landscape creating a more equitable and diverse future. We’re not just investing in top performers — we’re investing in talented leaders building tomorrow’s companies. That’s an ROI we can all get behind.”
Investment Thesis: The leading source of institutional capital for female founders at the seed stage, believing women will build the category-defining companies of tomorrow.
Focus: Seed-stage tech companies.
6. THE FUND
We invest in mission-driven, technology-enabled companies at the earliest stages.
We love teams who are moving the world forward, who are using technology in powerful ways, who care about people and our collective future, and who are driven with a deep sense of purpose to turn big ideas into tangible businesses.
Together, we’ve pooled our capital, networks, and expertise to help grow startup ecosystems around the globe in a radical new way.
We’re here because we believe in the cities we live in, we believe in their people & possibilities, and we believe in giving back to the communities that helped us get to where we are today.
Investment Thesis: A community-driven fund investing in purpose-driven founders. They pool capital, networks, and expertise to grow local startup ecosystems.
Focus: Early-stage, mission-driven, technology-enabled companies.
7. Golden Seeds
When Golden Seeds was founded in 2005, women entrepreneurs represented less than 3% of all companies receiving start-up capital. The goal was to raise substantial capital for women entrepreneurs and to encourage both women and men to become active investors by providing a venue where they could learn and work together. In 2021, women-led companies represented 23% of all companies receiving early-stage funding, a substantial increase since our founding in 2005, but still a stark contrast to the 42% of all U.S. companies that are owned by women.
At Golden Seeds, investors review hundreds of investment opportunities each year. The companies are actively vetted, coached and advised by our network.
We offer an environment in which many of today’s most exciting women-led businesses receive capital and connections to grow and successfully exit. We aim to achieve market returns for our investors while at the same time creating lasting impact.
Golden Seeds is proud of its contribution to the growth and vitality of women entrepreneurs.
Investment Thesis: Aims to achieve market-rate returns by providing capital and connections to women-led businesses, noting that 42% of all U.S. companies are owned by women.
Focus: Early-stage companies across multiple sectors.
8. Harlem Capital
Harlem Capital is a venture capital firm on a mission to change the face of entrepreneurship by investing in 1,000 diverse founders over 20 years.
The world is missing out on a great deal of innovative companies by not investing more heavily in women and diverse entrepreneurs. Harlem Capital is addressing the disparity ourselves rather than waiting for other Venture Capital firms to come around.
We believe it’s important for founders to know there are people who look like them willing to invest in and support them and for the next generation to know that they too can be successful in VC.
We’re changing the face of entrepreneurship and create generational wealth for people of color and women. It is why we have introduced "culture carry", allowing our founders to split 1% of the fund’s carry with the hope that all founders will benefit directly from each other’s success.
Investment Thesis: On a mission to change the face of entrepreneurship by investing in 1,000 diverse founders over 20 years, creating generational wealth for women and people of color.
Focus: Seed-stage, women and minority founders.
9. Launch with Goldman Sachs
Launch With GS is our $1 billion investment strategy grounded in our data-driven thesis that diverse teams drive strong returns. Through Launch With GS, Goldman Sachs aims to increase access to capital and facilitate connections for women, Black, Latinx and other diverse entrepreneurs and investors.
Investment Thesis: A $1 billion investment strategy based on the data-driven thesis that diverse teams drive strong returns.
Focus: Women, Black, Latinx, and other diverse entrepreneurs.
10. New Voices Fund
“New Voices Fund is a venture capital firm and our mission has been to deliberately build purposeful businesses serving the needs of underserved and oftentimes marginalized consumers and communities.
We leverage our successes, resources, and expertise to invest in opportunities with and for entrepreneurs of color as well as provide the necessary talent development/skillsets coupled with an inclusive ecosystem to aid in closing the wealth gap and driving economic equity in underserved communities.
Through our Community Commerce operating model, P.A.C.E. investment strategy, and Triple C Impact we have built and stewarded some of the most iconic brands, financially successful companies, and socially impactful organizations serving global markets and audiences by any standard.
The New Voices team is excited to meet you, consumer and consumer-tech enabled entrepreneurs, where you're at and partner with you on your journey to develop iconic and timeless brands that have a lasting impact.”
Investment Thesis: Builds purposeful businesses serving the needs of marginalized consumers by investing in entrepreneurs of color.
Focus: Consumer and consumer-tech enabled businesses.
11. Pipeline Angels
A group of investors serving as the friends and family round for women and non-binary femme social entrepreneurs.
“According to the Center for Venture Research, in 2016, only 26% of U.S. angel investors were women and only 5% were minorities (their terms–not ours).
Pipeline Angels is changing the face of angel investing and creating capital for trans women, cis women, nonbinary, two-spirit, agender, and gender-nonconforming founders.
Our members serve as the friends and family round for entrepreneurs who may not already have support at that critical stage.
Since Pipeline Angels launched in April 2011, over 500 members have graduated from our angel investing program and have invested more than US$7M in 100+ companies via our pitch summit process. Members serve as the friends and family round for entrepreneurs who may not already have support at that critical stage.
Pipeline Angels is currently accepting applications for our signature training for new investors and for our signature pitch summit for entrepreneurs seeking funding.”
Investment Thesis: Serves as the "friends and family" round for founders who may lack early support, changing the face of angel investing for women and non-binary founders.
Focus: Trans women, cis women, nonbinary, two-spirit, agender, and gender-nonconforming founders.
12. Plum Alley
Headquartered in NYC, with an office in SF, Plum Alley is a venture platform offering investment opportunities to individuals, entities, family offices and others with syndicates/SPVs and Plum Alley’s Venture Fund.
We invest in advanced technology and healthcare companies at the Series A and B that will improve our lives and the planet. Our founders are technologists of the highest caliber, and we require our portfolio companies to have at least one woman in the founding team.
Our members are a diverse group of investors including executives, operators and family offices who are uniquely capable of adding value for founders with their relationships and expertise across industries.
Investment Thesis: Invests in companies with at least one woman on the founding team that are poised to improve lives and the planet.
Focus: Series A and B in advanced technology and healthcare.
13. SoGal Ventures
SoGal Ventures represents how far our generation has come and how deep our impact on the world can be. We are investing in next-gen billion-dollar businesses that unapologetically benefit people, society, and the planet.
Investment Thesis: Invests in next-generation billion-dollar businesses that benefit people, society, and the planet.
Focus: Global, early-stage diverse founding teams.
14. WOCstar Fund
The WOCstar Fund is changing the trajectory for investors and entrepreneurs. We are an early-stage investment fund focused on tech innovation being brought to market by inclusive teams and women of color ("WOCstars"). Media, Consumption and Sustainability is our investment focus and where women are solving problems for global markets.
Investment Thesis: An early-stage fund changing the trajectory for women of color ("WOCstars") and inclusive teams building tech innovations.
Focus: Media, Consumption, and Sustainability.
15. 37 Angels
37 Angels is an angel investment network and a platform for educating both investors and founders about the startup ecosystem. Founded by Angela Lee in 2012, it focuses on closing the gender gap in angel investing by activating more women investors. They invest in early-stage technology startups, primarily in the seed stage, and provide educational resources through investor bootcamps.
Investment Thesis: A community of women angel investors activating capital for early-stage companies.
Focus: Seed-stage companies.
16. 1843 Capital
Founded in 2016 by Tracy Killoren Chadwell as an early-stage venture capital firm, 1843 Capital focuses on AgeTech – technology for older adults and their caregivers and longevity. We invest differently – valuing diverse founders and board members, and we engage differently – with capital, counsel, and connectivity.
Investment Thesis: Values diverse founders and focuses on a key, underserved market. Engages with capital, counsel, and connectivity.
Focus: AgeTech (technology for older adults and caregivers) and longevity.
