The first fund aimed at women-led businesses is launched.

StartSe - The Women Entrepreneur Network (RME) and Gradual Investimentos have just launched W55, an initiative that promises to foster the entrepreneurship ecosystem with a focus on companies founded or led by women.

W55 emerged from the close relationship between Ana Fontes, founder of RME, and Fernanda de Lima, CEO of Gradual Investimentos, who noticed a gap in the market: in terms of Private Equity resources, less than 2% of the global resources of these funds invest in companies led by women.

“Women have a very associative profile, and gender equality generates a positive impact on the economy. This is because women distribute income among other family members and acquaintances, and this action has a multiplier effect,” explains Fernanda de Lima.

Among the forms of support offered by W55 are three:

Training: It promotes entrepreneurial training and education, in partnership with RME, to improve, expand and develop skills for managing the company.

Acceleration / Networking: It creates opportunities to connect with other female entrepreneurs through qualified mentoring, access to networking, and a workspace. 

Access to capital: Together, they build strategies and solutions for accessing capital that are compatible with the reality of the business, in order to generate productive linkages.

The support will be offered in exchange for equity crowdfunding, which occurs when the investor receives an equity stake or a debt security that can be converted into company shares.

Despite being in its early stages, W55 is already accepting applications through its website's contact section. For those interested, Fernanda clarifies that the goal is to encourage entrepreneurship, and companies founded by men with women in leadership positions are also welcome.