Women in VC 2018

Women breaking barriers in venture capital

The Women in VC forum is back this February showcasing Australia’s leading women in the venture capital ecosystem!

Join founders, investors and angels for TED-style talks and fireside chats (with some great debates) with inspirational women who have carved a niche for themselves in this traditionally male-dominated industry, igniting a definite shift towards greater gender diversity in the Aussie VC landscape.

Whilst 2017 brought a lot of coverage on the obstacles that women face in the VC world, the Women in VC 2018 forum will not only tackle these in an open conversation, but also focus on the many opportunities that abound.

There has never been a better time to be in the VC space...

According to KPMG’s most recent VC trends report, Australian venture capital invested in Australia has hit a near-record $230 million, with Q2 2017 seeing Australian startups close a number of Series A, B and C rounds with significant deals.

However, due to the unconscious bias that exists in the global investment industry, women-led ventures are highly underfunded. The lack of women investors in the space also is a major factor in the investment decisions VCs make and projects they take on. Despite these challenges, there are remarkable women who have carved a niche for themselves in this traditionally male-dominated industry, igniting a definite shift towards greater gender diversity in the Aussie VC landscape.

Join 100+ founders, investors and angels to hear TED-style talks and fireside chats (with some great debates) on:

• Women are taking risks and starting businesses – does the Australian venture capital ecosystem have the depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding necessary to support them?
• Women that want to become investors - where do they begin?
• How to scale that next mountain? Taking a company from idea phase to build-out phase to scaling globally
• Bridging the disconnect between expectations of investors and expectations of founders
• Women investors - what are they looking for in VC-grade ideas and what are they investing in this coming year?
• Blockchain and cryptocurrencies are democratising the VC landscape – where are the opportunities?
• What does the future landscape look like? Will the rise of corporations, corporate ventures, boutique VCs and crowdfunding platforms making equity investments in start-ups translate into more dollars for women-led ventures?

Speakers include:

• Agada Nameri, Global Portfolio Manager, iAngels, Israel
• Topaz Conway, Chair, Springboard Enterprises Australia
• Daniel Petre, Founding Partner, Airtree Ventures
• Diane Smith-Gander, Non Executive Director, Chief Executive Women
• Adrian Turner, Chief Executive Officer, Data61
• Karen Lawson, Chief Executive Officer, Slingshot
• Kara Frederick, Managing Partner, Reinventure
• Melissa Widner, General Partner, NAB Ventures
• Katerina Kimmorley, Head of Investment Development & Venture Capital - Innovation Fund, Clean Energy Finance Corporation
• Charlotte Petris, Chief Executive Officer, Timelio
• Susan Oliver, Chair, Scale Investors