Citrine Angels Headlines DC Startup Week’s Female Founders and Funders Track
DC Startup Week brings out the best of the best in the DMV’s investing ecosystem, and this year, Citrine Angels had a big announcement: over $1M invested in our portfolio companies.
Cheering us on in the audience were Citrine creator Allyson Redpath, as well as our members, partners, and portfolio company founders, including Sarah Frimpong from Wellfound Foods and Julie Melnick from SkySquad.
Stephanie Marshall, Lisa Friedlander, and Allyson Redpath, co-founders of Citrine Angels, with our commemorative banner.
But the announcement wasn’t the end of our day: immediately afterward, we launched our “Women Investing in Women” panel. (And yes, our panel was inspired by our mission!) Joining Stephanie on the panel were Shalanda Armstrong, Managing Partner, 100KM Ventures; Lisa Friedlander, Chief Revenue Officer, NEXT Startup Group; and Phoebe Van Duinen, Investment Manager, Halcyon.
In front of a packed audience, the panelists discussed the realities of being women and woman-identifying funders and founders, and the best way to continue the push toward equality with their male counterparts.
Our panelists educating the crowd at DC Startup Week
One of the biggest takeaways? If you’re an accredited investor who is tentative about investing, find a way to get involved.
“It’s addictive!” said Lisa. “Once you rip off that Band-Aid and write that first check, you’ll want to invest in a lot more opportunities. I promise you.”
She also touted the benefits of joining a group like Citrine Angels, where new investors reap the benefits of others’ experience in the field, as well as support with due diligence and SPV formation. “Whether it’s Citrine or another organization, a group goes a long way to help you develop your investment thesis, whether it’s women investing in women, or health, or future of work.”
The panel also had words of wisdom for the founders in the audience: be unapologetic, be aggressive, be confident, and, above all, don’t undervalue your product’s worth. These characteristics are crucial to connecting with investors and closing the funding gap with their male counterparts.
“Make investors really resonate with what you’re building and why it’s important,” advised Shalanda.
The panel wrapped up with a look at some of the hottest female-founded companies in the DMV ecosystem. Among them were OxiWear, which allows for continuous SPO2 monitoring via an attachment on the ear; NopSec, a female-founded cybersecurity firm; and Femly, a company committed to supply public restrooms with organic sanitary products.