Invest in Her: The Power of Funding Female Entrepreneurs by Catherine Gray

Meet Catherine Gray, the dynamic founder of She Angel Investors and the insightful host of the Invest in Her podcast. Catherine is on a mission to address the staggering fact that women receive less than 2% of venture capital funding, a gap she is passionately working to close. She has created a multimedia platform through She Angel Investors that provides female entrepreneurs with essential education, inspiration, and funding opportunities. Her podcast, Invest in Her, features engaging conversations with female founders and funders, offering listeners invaluable insights and resources. Catherine’s work also includes producing films and writing books that highlight the unique challenges and successes of women in business, fostering a supportive community. Additionally, she offers an e-course titled “6 Ways to Fund Your Business,” aimed at equipping women with practical strategies to secure funding. Join Catherine Gray in her transformative movement to uplift and empower female entrepreneurs and help create a more equitable future in the business world.

What inspired you to transition from cable television advertising to becoming a champion for female entrepreneurs and angel investing?

I have always been a champion of the underdog. When I had the opportunity to leave cable TV advertising to help start an lgbtq cable network as Vice President of Advertising, I jumped at the chance to make an impact on that front. 

I followed that position by producing the same-sex marriage documentary I Can’t Marry You, which Ellen DeGeneres’ mother Betty narrated and aired on PBS. I truly believe that film and television have the power to transform culture. Film and television play a crucial role in creating awareness, which in turn drives change. This is my latest project, the Show Her the Money movie, which aims to raise awareness about women receiving only 2% of venture capital funding, while men receive 98%!

Could you share the story of founding She Angel Investors and the She Angels Foundation? What drove you to create these platforms?

In both the for-profit world and the non-profit world, women’s and girls initiatives receive only 2%, so I wanted to create entities that would shed light on these issues and provide resources to create change.

How do you believe multimedia platforms like podcasts, films, and e-courses can impact the funding landscape for female entrepreneurs?

I believe knowledge is power, so if our films, courses, podcasts, and events provide education, awareness, inspiration, connections, and resources for women, we can be unstoppable. 

Can you elaborate on the challenges women face in accessing venture capital funding and what initiatives you’re spearheading to address this issue?

Our 50+ grassroots tour around the globe, with our movie Show Her the Money, is raising awareness, creating education, and providing access to venture capital for both founders and funders. We are on a mission to fix a broken system by educating women about what venture capital is, how fascinating, exciting, and lucrative this asset class can be, and how important it is to our future together.

Given that women will control trillions of dollars in the coming decade, we have the opportunity to make a significant impact by investing in women-founded funds that support the incredible innovations of women, BiPoC, and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. This crucial investment sector, which will profoundly influence the planet’s future, has overlooked countless individuals.

Your documentary aims to raise awareness about how women are underfunded. What key messages or solutions do you hope to convey through this film?

We are determined to convey that women impact 80% of the buying decisions and that we need to impact a majority of the investment decisions, because that is a powerful combination. It is crucial to the future of the world that women help determine what the products and services of the future are. They reap the benefits of the wealth this asset class generates, despite decades of exclusion. We, as women, need to fix this issue ourselves; thus, the film aims to educate and inspire women about how they can participate in the change. Our tour is getting women (and men) all over the world fired up and determined to tackle this imbalance. We got this!

What motivated you to produce the e-video online course “6 Ways to Fund Your Business”? How does it contribute to the empowerment of female founders?

I found that many women don’t typically know all the various ways they can fund their start-up or grow their business. Our course explains in an easy-to-understand format what those options are and how to access them. And it helps you determine which one or more ways are best for your business.

Could you provide us with more information about your podcast series, “Invest in Her”? How do you curate content that inspires and provides resources for your listeners?

I always meet the most interesting and brilliant women in the venture capital space on a regular basis. I am grateful to be able to feature them on my Invest in Her podcast series, which provides free resources and information to my listeners. I’m coming up on my 400th episode!

What inspired you to co-produce “Millennials are Killing Musicals”? How does the show’s theme align with your mission of empowering women?

My focus, as you know, is always on empowering women. It is rare to have a women-themed story on Broadway, created, written, and directed by women, with a mostly female cast and a mostly female behind-the-scenes crew.

Nico Juber, who also wrote the incredible music for this show, created a storyline about a single mom, which is what I love about it. Broadway typically doesn’t feature this topic. For all these reasons combined, I love that this show is disrupting the Broadway space! We are thrilled to be co-producing this Broadway-bound show, and we are looking forward to 2025.

Reflecting on your past productions, such as “I Can’t Marry You” and documentaries for the LOGO network, how have those experiences shaped your current endeavours?

As I mentioned before, I do believe it is film and television that change culture. 

Films like the documentary I Can’t Marry You collectively helped make same-sex marriage a reality today. I firmly believe that by bringing attention to the issue of women receiving only two percent of venture capital, our film Show Her the Money can raise awareness and enlighten enough people worldwide to bring about the necessary change.

Finally, how do you balance your passion for producing impactful projects with your role as an angel investor and member of investment clubs?

These really all tie together. The time I spend at film screenings meeting amazing smart women entrepreneurs and investors aligns with my mission of both investing and connecting people. Connecting is the superpower that creates magic on all fronts.