Bringing Equal Gender Parity to the Investing Industry

1. Lack of mentorship and role models: I started my career with two other junior women who joined in the same year, and we did not know what women in leadership roles could look like. Given the mere 7% female representation for PE/VC funds in India, many women have found it challenging to picture themselves as female partners. Lack of mentorship and role models also makes it harder for women to break into the network-heavy industry.

2. Imposter Syndrome: Almost everyone at some point questions moving out of their comfort zone and asks whether they are worthy or qualified to do whatever they are aiming to do. It is a fear which has struck women harder by setting a higher benchmark for their own evaluation as compared to their male peers. Another example is that of “Diversity Hiring” —while it helps the cause, the process creates an illusion of being hired because of gender and not because of merit. 

3. Lack of funding to female founders: As per Venture Intelligence, funding to female founders in India was only 6.5% in 2019. It is fair to say that more female partners at the decision-making table can support more female or mixed-gender startups, thus, creating a flywheel effect. However, the lack of female investors serves as a disincentive to many highly capable female founders to pursue their startups or raise additional rounds of funding.Learning through the experiences of other women and through my own career, I realized we all faced the same challenges, unaware that we are all going through the same things. 

1. Networking: Given investing is a relationship and network-driven business, one of our key objectives is to provide a platform for women to build a social and professional network in the industry, right from the early stages of their careers, as they move up the ladder.

2. Training and education: We provide coaching and knowledge workshops focusing on investing themes in India, long-term career opportunities in India, work-life balance, and MBA-related discussions. Events include sessions across different sectors and investing stages, with senior women professionals and peers in finance and investing.

3. Mentorship: We provide mentorship to women aspirants, both professionals and students, wanting to build a career in finance and investing. Some of our events include one-on-one interactions and group sessions, networking with headhunters, and working with like-minded global organizations.This community has given us the perfect place to warmly discuss everything from navigating gender biases at work to careers and investing, while building a strong sense of community. With 500 million internet users, a young population, massive consumer growth, and VC investments reaching close to $20 billion by 2021, India is a fitting example of a dynamic and growing investing ecosystem. Given the massive investment and growth opportunity, it is extremely important to make sure there is equal gender representation where the capital flows to empower the next generation of women investors and women entrepreneurs. Through this network, I have realized the inherent desire amongst all of us to make a difference in the world, and we hope that Headway Circuit can be used as a platform to pass on the baton to other women and encourage the shift in power to achieve equality. If you’d like to mentor, organize a session, volunteer or attend events, or just catch-up for a coffee chat, please do reach out to me on ajindal@mba2023.hbs.edu! Here is also a link to our website which has details for our members, in case you’d like to connect with anyone else in the team. You can also find us on Twitter and LinkedIn.