Angel Academe - increasing female investment

We are thrilled to announce our latest investment from Tall Grass Ventures, a leading Canadian Venture Capital firm. Grateful to all who have helped the company progress to this stage. As we look forward to the path ahead, it is fantastic to have such impressive investors and experience as partners in this journey. Rothamsted Research Shake Climate Change Angel Academe - increasing female investment Rockstart Sustainable Ventures BBSRC Innovate UK Cambridge Capital Group #agtech #farming #sustainability #pheromones #IPM

Nike’s massive 20% share price drop: time to revisit the growth at any cost model? Nike is not alone. Looking at the top 10 sportswear brands, it is a similar picture for Lululemon, UnderArmour, JD Sports, Wolverine, and Puma. On average their share prices are down by 10% over the last 6 months, 17% over the last year, and 20% over the last 5 years. Having a quick look at the business fundamentals, there is a story in the numbers. Here are the averages across that group: Net revenue growth: up, averaging 15% (if you exclude 2020) Gross margins: down, by 1.65% pts (from 47.97% in 2019 to 46.32% in 2023)  Operating margins: down, by 2.25% pts (9.08% in 2019 to 6.83% in 2023), and  Inventories as % of net revenue are up 2.2% pts (16.1% in 2019 to 18.2% in 2023) The numbers suggest that there needs to be some realignment across the various internal functions. Inventory management remains a key challenge for these companies as they manage overstock and demand volatility. The good thing about activewear as a category is that certain areas are easier to predict - it behaves more like continuity than fashion items so it is easier to forecast from a demand planning perspective.  This was echoed in McKinsey’s Activewear report see exhibit 3. This is also exactly the kind of job that advances in AI & ML are good at. Working with large fashion retailers Dressipi has seen up to 4% points improvements in full-price sell-through rates. This isn’t just a big hit for these companies on their profit margins but also a big sustainability issue too. If I take Deckers and Fraser Group by contrast. Both are seeing similar average revenue growth (14% and 10% respectively) but have costs and stock under control (2023 GM, operating margins, and inventory either in line with or above 2019 numbers). A cautionary tale perhaps - to get the alignment done now to ensure that growth continues to be profitable. #profitablegrowth #sustainablesupplychains #predictiveAI #retailai

Applications open TODAY for SBRI Healthcare Competition 25, Phase 1. Up to £100,000 (NET) for six months for innovations that focus on Women's Health - Gynaecological Conditions and Hormonal Health, Mental Health, Chronic Conditions and Long-term Health. Deadline 28 August, 1pm. A briefing webinar will be held on 30 July 1-3pm. Full details on the competition page https://lnkd.in/exdRcM3R FemTech Lab Femtech World Femtech Insider FemTechIreland at Health Innovation Hub Ireland Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust Women in Technology World Series Women of Wearables (wearables, health tech & femtech) AthenaDAO Katarzyna (Kasia) Zmarzly SiS Global The Female Lead Blooming Founders Angel Academe - increasing female investment AllBright Lesley Regan Nicola Hutchinson North East and North Cumbria NHS Kathy McLean Lauren Ging Lesley Soden FutureFemHealth Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association One HealthTech Chantal Cox Laura Minquini Dr MaryAnn Ferreux Dr Orlanda A.

🔔 YOUR TIME TO BREAK INTO VENTURE CAPITAL IS NOW  🔔 Included VC's Global Fellowship applications for Class ‘24 are officially open! Know someone who should see this? Tag your friends, colleagues, cousins, even your latest match! We want everyone* to have a shot at this life-changing opportunity. ✅ TL;DR // Virtual Fellowship // Part-time commitment of 15 hours per week // Fully funded by our Venture Partners // You're passionate about breaking into VC // Join the #IncludedVCMafia - the most connected, diverse VC network globally, representing over 40 countries and nationalities. 💜 Key Highlights Included VC is all about kindness, lifting each other up, resilience, and paying it forward. Our Fellows embody these values deeply, we hope you do too. Thanks to BITKRAFT Ventures, Creandum, daphni, European Investment Fund (EIF), HSBC, HV Capital, Mangrove Capital Partners, Mouro Capital, Notion Capital, Seedcamp & Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati the global Fellowship remains fully funded. Their mentorship and support are priceless. Fun fact: Our success rate is as a % is higher than global renowned business schools! Over 80% of Included VC Fellows who actively apply to VC roles land roles at funds like: Pale blue dot, XAnge, Launch Africa Ventures, Trifecta Capital, Sequoia Capital, Balderton Capital, Atomico, Founders Factory Africa, Enza Capital, Kalaari Capital and many, many more. Remember, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Even if you’re unsure if you qualify, apply anyway – you never know what could happen. Think you can shake up the status quo in VentureCapital? Apply now! Go. Go. Go! #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship #Tech

Raising seed stage capital is a marathon, not a sprint. As a startup CEO, here are my insights into the timeline to close a round of funding from VC's, Strategic, Angels and Syndicates. 🔍 Investor Research (1 month) Reviewing the list to find the right investor fit, I reviewed an initial list of 4,000 to ensure that I wasn’t wasting any time on pitching to the wrong investors. (see previous post on investor fit) 📅 Preparation Phase (1 month) I spent time building out the data room (on Notion), building the finances, modelling out the investment spend, creating a short and long form deck. I wanted to make sure I was ready at a moment's notice to share more information. 👥 Initial Outreach Phase One (1 Month) Networking and making initial connections with investors. This phase included attending pitch events, leveraging LinkedIn, and getting introductions while building a network and refining the outreach message (constantly iterating). 👥 Initial Outreach Phase Two (1 Month) I ran two phases of the outreach as it was just too many to keep the momentum going all at once. I also had a lot of No’s and I was concerned the top of the funnel was drying up so we kicked off a second phase. 💬 Pitching and Meetings (5 months) Pitching to investors, answering questions, and providing additional information. Be prepared for multiple rounds of discussions and due diligence. ✍️ Negotiation and Closing (2 months) Finalising terms and conditions, negotiating the valuation, and closing the deal. This stage can be the most intense but it was also the most rewarding. These were some of the most difficult conversations I had to endure. In total, it took me 11 months to raise seed stage capital including the preparation ahead of outreach and pitching. Patience, persistence, and building a strong network are crucial. Remember, every "no" is a step closer to a "yes." Keep pushing forward! https://lnkd.in/eP_v6w7z Sarah Turner Marla Shapiro Amy Lewin Agata Leliwa Nowicka Karina Vazirova FemTech Lab Jamie Gannaway Hugo C. Portfolio Ventures M12, Microsoft's Venture Fund Mayfield Fund Navjot Virk John Hinshaw Darren Carpenter CA HERMESA Monik Pham The ICE Network Emily Castles Blair Pusey Sally Guyer Francois Mazoudier #startup #entrepreneurship #seedfunding #venturecapital #startuplife #femalefounder #SaaS #investmenttimeline