Our ultimate goal when embarking on the pilot was to make the need for Women Effect obsolete. We want to see a world where gender patterns are a standard element of diligence, where investors have the agility to apply multiple lenses across their portfolio and can easily access product in any asset class.
The demand for a dedicated women effect network was first expressed at Convergence, an event hosted by think tank Criterion Institute, and had been in discussion for the last three years. “I meet so many amazing investors who want to do more investing with a gender lens but don't know where to find the people and information they need, or just want to find it faster" says founder Suzanne Biegel. “And also perhaps less experienced investors who still have a strong view on the change they want to see.”
We were envisioned as a connecting point and a curated community, collaborating with a diverse set of partners leading thought and strategy around gender lens investing. Women Effect was not conceived as a transaction entity, or a replacement for the many investment and philanthropy networks that people are already part of. We launched a pilot to test the proposition of a global online connected community for investors and philanthropists and those people helping to direct capital with a gender lens.
