Clearing the Hurdles: Women Building High-Growth Businesses

224 CLEARING THE HURDLES: WOMEN BUILDING HIGH-GROWTH BUSINESSES

of success look like. First, let’s examine women’s inclusion in or

access to the right networks of financial providers.

Getting Access to Venture Capital

Investors

Most venture capitalists have a tight and trusted circle

of business colleagues who act as gatekeepers for high-

potential deals and women have rarely been

networked into this small inner circle.

—Trish Costello, Director of the Kauffman Fellows Program

When looking for expansion capital, entrepreneurs who are trying to

create the next Fortune 1000 company are likely to seek out equity

investors. In many cases, they do so because time is of the essence:

They are in a race to claim the market space—or they need to establish

patent ...