From Pitch Nights to Billion-Dollar Wins
This week: Women-led startups are generating $0.78 per dollar funded, female Waterloo students revolutionizing childbirth care, and African female entrepreneurs, the continent’s greatest asset.
This is WWV Labs’ weekly newsletter: Her Hustle, a place to learn all about the new and the next in female entrepreneurship, and we’re here to help you dive into it. We highlight all the fierce women who are building startups—from those launching from dorm rooms and balancing classes to recent grads and experienced professionals turning their bold visions into reality.
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This week has been a power sprint—and we’re just getting started.
On Thursday, I had the privilege of leading the Fintech Feminists Book Tour at Harvard, an event hosted by Harvard Undergraduate Women in Entrepreneurship. 55 women hungry for innovation, dove into real talk with Nicole and two female fintech founders featured in her book. The event included free books, sushi, and invaluable insights that could inspire and advance careers.
And guess what? We’re not slowing down. Tomorrow, we’re co-hosting a Womxn’s Networking and Pitch Night with Foundess at Harvard! If you’re in Boston, you need to pull up—it’s going to be the place to connect with fellow female dreamers, doers, and disruptors.
But that’s not all. The highlight of the month is the Harvard-Yale Entrepreneurial Mixer. Held on the night before the iconic Harvard-Yale game, this event will bring together top innovators from both schools to network, collaborate, and foster meaningful connections.
Let’s be real: pulling off event after event can be exhausting. But nothing compares to the magic of seeing this incredible community grow—women stepping up, showing out, and redefining what’s possible.
🚀 Female Founder News
Female founders are crushing it in climate fintech, securing an impressive 50.4% of pre-Series B funding globally—averaging $5M per round—compared to just 3.4% in the broader fintech sector, with nearly half of 2023’s climate fintechs led or co-founded by women.
Biomedical Engineering students Clara Kim, Erica Liu, Emily Rose, and Sean D'Mello from the University of Waterloo are revolutionizing women’s health with their winning innovation, PeriGuard—a groundbreaking device to reduce perineal tears during childbirth—claiming the $4,000 grand prize at the FemTech Canada’s Innovation Challenge!
Fawn Weaver, co-founder of Uncle Nearest, just made history as one of only five Black female founders to lead a company to a $1 billion valuation—and she’s not stopping there, with bold plans to hit $40 billion while cementing a legacy that redefines the whiskey industry.
Kadi Lee, the celebrity colorist behind Meghan Markle’s iconic locks, just launched her haircare line Highbrow Hippie—with Meghan herself stepping in as an investor to back this female founder who saved Meghan from boxed dye.
African female entrepreneurs, the continent’s greatest untapped assets, are rewriting the investment narrative—leading 58% of Africa’s self-employed businesses and proving that closing the $42 billion funding gap for women could unlock a staggering $316 billion boost to Africa’s GDP!
Scotland’s first all-female angel syndicate, Investing Women Angels, just launched the W2W initiative to boost the number of women angel investors and supercharge funding for female-led businesses—taking inspiration from the U.S. "echo effect" to reshape Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem!
🥳 Upcoming Events
November 18 | 👩💻 Foundess x Harvard Undergraduate Women in Entrepreneurship: Womxn Co-Building + Networking Night (Boston)
November 22 | 🏈 Harvard-Yale Entrepreneurial Mixer (Boston)
🔥 Highlights from LinkedIn
Female founders are redefining ROI, generating $0.78 in revenue per dollar of funding—more than double the $0.31 by male-led startups—proving that investing in women isn’t just fair, it’s financially smart!
Suneera Madhani, founder of Stax Payments, turned rejection into a billion-dollar fintech empire, scaling to $160M in recurring revenue and $40B in annual processing—setting a new benchmark for female founders worldwide!
Female founders, take note! A powerhouse list of VCs, angel investors, and accelerators—dedicated to backing women-led ventures—is now available, making it easier than ever to find the perfect funding match and turn bold visions into reality!
Atlanta-based founder Lauren Goodell of Zinnia just secured a $100,000 investment from HearstLab, joining their powerhouse portfolio of women-led startups and driving innovation in AI-powered sales solutions.
✨ Female Student Founder Spotlight
Name: Zebo Furqatzoda
School: New York University Class of 2026
Major: Philosophy and Economics
Startup: NeuroHope
Sector: Neurotech
Description of Startup: NeuroHope is a wearable device that utilizes EEG neurofeedback to provide real-time, adaptive learning for students with dyslexia. It helps these students overcome cognitive challenges by adjusting educational tasks and offering valuable insights to both educators and parents.
Biggest Startup Achievement: NeuroHope won 2nd place at the Girls Into VC x Harvard Undergraduate Women in Entrepreneurship 2024 Pitch Competition!
Biggest Startup Learning Moment: Through building Writerama and PrepPeer, I learned that even the best ideas remain just ideas without a team that believes in and executes them. The importance of a strong founding team, rooted in shared values and vision, became clear. I saw how the right team culture, based on commitment to the mission, drives resilience and adaptability—qualities that are as crucial as any strategy or market fit. Now, at NeuroHope, I’m more focused on forming a team aligned with the mission, knowing that it’s the strength of shared purpose that ultimately moves a venture forward.
Advice for Female Students Interested in Entrepreneurship: For female students interested in entrepreneurship, building a network of mentors, peers, and like-minded communities is crucial. Mentors offer invaluable guidance, helping you navigate challenges and avoid common pitfalls. Surrounding yourself with peers who share your passion can provide inspiration and accountability, while communities amplify your confidence and expand your opportunities. These relationships provide not just practical advice, but emotional support, fostering resilience and growth as you work toward your entrepreneurial goals.
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👩💻 Opportunities
💁♀️ Are you a female student or recent graduate who wants to work at a startup? Apply to WWV Labs Fellowship Program to find ad hoc projects, term-time internships, summer internships, or full-time employment opportunities at startups!
Join our community of 300+ fellows from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Columbia, UPenn, UC Berkeley, and other top universities today!
Theanna is a data-driven network that activates female tech founders from $0 to $1M ARR, providing support through networking, milestone tracking, events, and more. Get early access here.
Swsh, a shared photo album app that lets friends easily reconnect after parties, events, and trips, is hiring students in Greek Life to supercharge their growth on campuses. Join a fast-paced Gen-Z startup, gain hands-on growth experience, access exclusive entrepreneurial events, and earn competitive pay. If interested, fill out this form.
🌍 Cherry VC, one of Europe's leading VC firms, is interested in supporting WWV Labs fellows with opportunities at European startups. If you have EU or UK citizenship and are interested, please email wwvlabs@gmail.com.
👩💻 Palantir's Semester at Palantir internship is now accepting applications for Spring 2025—offering students the chance to take a semester off to work on real-world technical challenges in data-driven solutions, empowering major institutions while gaining invaluable industry experience.
💻 Resources
🛂 If you're an international student founder aiming to work in the U.S. on your startup or join a startup team, Alcorn Immigration Law offers personalized guidance to secure the right visas and green cards to help bring your entrepreneurial dreams to life—reach out to Sophie and mention you were referred by Daniela Andrade, WWV Labs!
✍️ We are gauging interest to see how many female students subscribed to our newsletter would be interested in connecting with a female founder, female investor, or male ally founder/investor during drop-in office hour sessions through WWV Labs. If you’re interested in this opportunity, please fill out this interest form!
🤝 Let’s Connect
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I hope you enjoyed this newsletter, Hustlers!
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Love,
Daniela