💌 FemWealth Year in Review
FemWealth Issue #41
Happy Sunday, FemWealth Friends!
What a roller coaster year! 2021 has been, in many ways, a year of extremes, spanning from incredible achievements to unthinkable setbacks for women worldwide.
Today’s edition of FemWealth shines a light on some of the most remarkable personalities and stories that shaped 2021 and are likely to influence the future in significant ways.
Politics:
Kamala Harris made history, becoming the first woman and Person of Color to serve as Vice President of the United States.
An increasing number of countries are led by women serving as head of state or government, including Sweden and Barbados. The number of gender-equal governments is also rising steadily, with Germany and Sweden recently presenting gender-balanced cabinets. [Read more: The long wait for Sweden’s first female prime minister]
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the first woman and first African to hold the position in the 75-year history of the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) and World Trade Organization.
Climate Crisis & Cop26: older men continue to dominate political leadership, but young women climate activists’ advocacy becomes even stronger.
After the Taliban came to power, women’s rights, including access to education, took a terrible blow in Afghanistan.
The tragic deaths of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa led to debates and investigations around women’s safety in public spaces in the UK and beyond.
Women’s reproductive rights are under attack in the United States, Poland a.o.
Women politicians, including Ursula von der Leyen, face sexism and targeted attacks.
Science & Health:
Katalin Karikó and Özlem Türeci are among the key scientists who developed the Covid-19 vaccines based on mRNA technologies.
Women’s health innovations, from general to reproductive health, gain traction. Women have also played a key role in advancing mental health & wellbeing.
A disappointing setback: No women have won Nobel Prizes in Science in 2021.
Business & Tech
A historic year for women-led IPOs: Bumble, Honest Company, Rent the Runway, Nykaa, Nubank are among the top companies founded and led by women that went public in 2021.
A significant number of women, including singer and entrepreneur Robyn Rihanna Fenty, have joined the billionaires club. Worth a collective $167.1 billion, women still have a “minority share” of total wealth ($13.1 trillion).
Women-led startups, including Canva led by Melanie Perkins, Maven Clinic led by Kate Ryder, and Tia led by Carolyn Witte, have raised mega-rounds. But startups founded by women and mixed-gender teams represent a small percentage of overall funding. In 2021, just 1.1% of Europe’s venture deals went to all-women founding teams. Women belonging to underestimated minorities, trying to fundraise, had an even more challenging year.
In Europe and the US, women launched a record number of VC firms, including some that are female-founders dedicated. A growing number of female investors were promoted to partner, but there is still a long way to go. [Read more: 1 change that can fix the VC funding crisis for women founders]
Creator Economy & Web3: Creators and high-profile investors like Katie Haun of a16z and Li Jin of Variant Fund & Atelier Ventures shaped the conversation around the nascent third generation of the Internet. But women continue to be a minority in the crypto space.
Speaking Truth To Power:
Philippine journalist Maria Ressa was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for her “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.” She has been a critical voice on terrorism, the authoritarian transgressions of the Duterte government, and the role of social media in disseminating disinformation.
Whistleblower Frances Haugen detailed how Facebook (now Meta) and its platforms exacerbated body-image issues among teenage girls, helped enable human trafficking, and spread vaccine misinformation, hate speech, and false narratives.
Female employees speak up about discrimination and harassment at companies such as Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Revian.
Sports, Arts & Entertainment:
Emma Raducanu, the 18-year old British Tennis player of Romanian and Chinese origin, won her U.S. Open debut. She made history as the first qualifier ever, male or female, to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles, and other high-profile athletes sparked debate around mental health in sports and beyond.
Former world No. 1 tennis player Amélie Mauresmo was appointed as Roland Garros’ tournament director, the first woman to serve in this role.
Chloe Zhao, director of “Nomadland,” has made history, becoming the first woman of color and the first woman of Asian descent to earn the best director at the Academy Awards. She is only the second woman to win the award.
Adele, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Lorde, and Alicia Keys are among the top artists who dropped new albums in 2021.
Have I missed any stories worth highlighting? Please add them in the comments section.
FemWealth Favorites ❤️
Women’s Health: Period-tracking app Clue raises €16m to roll out digital contraceptive | 4 Predictions From Top VCs For Women’s Health In 2022
Weight care management startup Found lands $100M at a $600M valuation - The company led by Sarah Jones Simmer aims for a holistic, personalized, and integrated approach to weight care management that includes addressing sleep, “mindful” eating, movement, stress, and a person’s biology.
Fresh Vine Wines, a US premium, low-carb, low-calorie wine manufacturer, co-founded by actresses Nina Dobrev and Julianne Hough, and led by Janelle Anderson, went public on the New York Stock Exchange.
This creator platform raised €3m — and half its angels are women or minorities - Passionfroot develops a no-code tool to help creators build sustainable businesses and reach financial and emotional sustainability.
Rent the Runway-style UK fashion rental marketplace HURR raises $5.4M round led by Octopus - Founded and led by Victoria Prew, Hurr combines peer-to-peer fashion rentals, direct partnerships with fashion outlets, and a white-label service with retailers.
Women-Led Anthemis Raises $700 Million Of Fresh Funds For Embedded Finance Startups - Founded by Amy Nauiokas and Sean Park ten years ago, Anthemis invests in embedded finance companies from pre-seed to later stages throughout a company’s life cycle.
Women-focused PE fund Alitheia IDF raises $100 million to invest in gender-diverse businesses across Africa - Alitheia is the first private equity fund manager in Africa to prioritize growth stage companies with gender diversified management teams.
“Globally, women have tremendous purchasing power as consumers and controllers of household economics. In the same vein, women entrepreneurs have a significant presence in Africa’s SME sector with African women making up 58% of the continent’s self-employed population. However, despite this economic power and presence, they are underserved as consumers and producers.” - Tokunboh Ishmael, Alitheia’s principal partner in Nigeria
Meet the UK’s first VC firm dedicated to female founders - Pink Salt Ventures, a micro VC, started in 2019 by Samira Ann Qassim, will launch its second fund next spring. It has also has welcomed Saloni Bhojwani as a cofounder.
One of the most influential crypto investors, Katie Haun, leaves Andreessen Horowitz to start her own firm focused on crypto and web3 startups.
I'm a VC who stopped hiding my disability at 31. It's made me a more insightful and resilient investor. - Bérénice Magistretti, a London-based investor, writer, and disabilities advocate opens up about how her visual disability gives her a unique perspective and advantage as an investor.
Fashion icon Chanel chooses Indian-born Leena Nair as CEO - Nair is a longtime Unilever executive where she served as Chief Human Resources Officer. Her new appointment signals how Chanel is accounting for changing consumer awareness of the industry's environmental impact and the importance of diverse hires.
Reflecting on the legacy of bell hooks, a trailblazing Black feminist and social critic who has passed away this week.
“The one person who will never leave us, whom we will never lose, is ourself. Learning to love our female selves is where our search for love must begin.” – Communion: The Search for Female Love, 2002 [via The Guardian]
Amanda Gorman on the Greatest Lesson She’s Learned This Year
“The importance, especially for women, to identify and listen to your inner voice. We all have these instincts that tend to process faster than the conscious mind might be able to. And as things go by so fast, I’m depending more and more on my instincts as a guiding principle.” - Amanda Gorman
As we wrap up this year, I want to thank you for your support, encouragement, and insights! I am grateful for your time and efforts to elevate women and advance gender equality!
FemWealth is returning to your inbox on January 9, 2022, with fresh insights and inspiring stories. If you would love to read about particular stories around women and gender equality, please drop me a line.
Wish you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year! 🎁
Anamaria
Founder and Writer of FemWealth