Unfounded Ltd.

Getting financial stakeholders to understand the potential

of giving women access to finance.

CLIENT

H&M Foundation

BACKGROUND

Female-founded start-ups only get about 3% of global venture dollar volume and 80% of women-owned businesses in the developing world have limited access to finance. If men and women could participate equally as entrepreneurs, global GDP could rise by approximately 3% to 6%. If banks, investors and VC firms started to give women access to finance, the world could potentially enjoy revenues the size of an Apple Inc or amazon.com every year.

With less than 10 years left to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, H&M Foundation wanted to step up the focus on gender equality and financial inclusion.

WHAT WE DID

To get financial stakeholders to act on and understand the potential of giving women access to finance we figured we needed to speak their language. Unfounded Ltd is an investment opportunity and a fictive startup demonstrating the could-be financial potential of female entrepenurship. In the investment proposal we’ve packaged stats and facts about female entrepreneurship. There is just one detail missing in the investment opportunity letter – women.

The investment proposal was sent to great international investors, VC firms and international banks and offers advice to drive change. Key steps include training men to shed bias, hiring more women and making investors aware that female pitching styles are different. The numbers don’t lie – Unfounded Ltd is a great investment opportunity.