Being a female founder is hard. Raising capital and retaining control of your company is harder when only 2.6% of all venture capital goes to female-founded startups. And the cost of getting that capital is giving up your equity in your company. That’s why I sat down with My Good Woman, Melissa Widner, the CEO of Lighter Capital.
Melissa deeply understands the entrepreneur’s journey and the role a funding partner can play in developing a business. As CEO, Melissa led two companies to successful exits returning more than 10 X to her investors.
She was the founder and CEO of Silicon Valley-based 7 Software and the Managing Director of NAB Ventures, the VC arm of the National Australia Bank. She led NAB’s investments into high-growth fintech, including Lighter Capital, the pioneer and leader in revenue-based financing for tech startups and scale-up. And if that isn’t awesome enough for you, Melissa is also the co-founder and chairperson of Sydney- based Heads Over Heels, an organization supporting women entrepreneurs running companies with high growth potential.
In this episode, Melissa and I discuss
- Leveling the playing field for female founders
- Equity or debt? Which is better when you’re building your business?
- How revenue-based financing works as opposed to venture financing
- How to retain ownership of your company amidst rapid growth
This episode at a glance:
[04:54] There are people that become very successful entrepreneurs, even in their forties or fifties, who wouldn’t have seemed to have had an entrepreneurial bone in their body as a kid.
[13:10] Revenue-based financing leverages the strength of women. Women tend to be good at creating relationships, which means they can build community. That would build on that angel funding.
[20:54] I realized timing is something you can’t control, but often it’s what determines success.
[26:23] We connect our companies to senior business leaders willing to open up their networks because they want to see the numbers change. They want to see more women growing their businesses.
