Invest with Integrity

Investing in a business means backing its vision and the potential behind it. 

And for those of us who want to be a part of building a more equitable, sustainable, and positive future, putting our money behind businesses that share those goals only makes sense.

That’s why we're here to help you invest in early-stage opportunities that are full of potential—both for the challenges that these businesses address, as well as your returns.

Women driving progress

When it comes to making impactful ethical investments, looking to businesses led by women is one of the best ways to align your investments with yours goals for social and environmental progress. 

According to WEKH, “A study of more than 10,000 individuals from 52 countries revealed that women are more likely than men to create and pursue social and environmental ventures than strictly economic ones.” 

WEKH also reports that “Women leading businesses have a disproportionately higher level of knowledge about environmental protection, are more likely to implement ‘green’ policies, and receive fewer environmental infraction fines.”

Not only are women more likely to lead ethically impactful businesses, but they’re also more likely to invest in them. 

71% of women make investment decisions with wider sustainability considerations (compared to 58% of men), and only 19% of women would invest in a company that is not considered socially responsible (compared to 51% of men). 

Women are actively building and investing in ventures that reflect the world they want to see—and it’s our mission to connect them.

No tradeoffs necessary

The perception that ethical investing comes with a sacrifice in returns is widespread. However, data shows that ethical investments actually slightly outperform those that don’t focus on social or environmental responsibility. When comparing the performance of two index funds that invest in companies that are part of the S&P 500 over the course of three years, Forbes found that the ethical investment fund provided greater returns.

And though factors such as greenwashing and a lack of transparency can make it difficult to reliably pinpoint businesses that genuinely align with your values, investing in innovative businesses in the early stages of growth can provide investors more direct influence and visibility into their practices. 

That’s where we step in. 

To help investors connect with early-stage ventures that align with their specific goals, The51 Financial Feminist™ platform provides the tools and resources needed to support where it matters most and so they can actively play a role in helping them flourish. 

The51 Fund II focused on the following trends and sectors for investors to activate their capital with businesses within the following sectors and growth trends: 

• Enterprise Software

• E-commerce & Marketplace

• Health and Wellness

• Cleantech

Interested in joining The51 community as an investor?
Fund II is now closed to new investors, but your can express your interest in our future venture funds and be connected to opportunities coming up in Fund III by submitting an investor form.

What makes a business ethically impactful?

The definitions of impact and ethical investing are loose, but the bottom line is that it’s possible to do good and do well—balancing both impact and profit. At The51, we’re dedicated to funding future-fit women-led organizations in the early stages of growth that meet the following criteria:

• Have an innovative, technology-enabled offering or business model

• Are led by highly coachable entrepreneurs with a relentless drive to succeed

• Business and team have commercialization DNA evidenced by early revenue

• Offer high growth potential (targeting 10x return) with environmental/social impact

• Are committed to integrating and reporting on their environmental, social, governance, Indigenous and diversity & inclusion performance 

Our community of 250+ investors aren’t looking for a quick exit. Our limited partners (LPs) bring their capital—financial, intellectual, and human—to the table to champion teams committed to mutually beneficial collaboration and transparency.

In conversations with our community, investors have shared sentiments such as:

• Women have influence and impact with their purchasing decisions, and their interest in and knowledge as customers becomes an asset when investing

• Women can leverage their interests and skills to drive impact in areas they know: their experiences as children of entrepreneurial families, their previous roles across companies and industries, and their consumer habits all serve to make women insightful investors who can make change in areas they care about

• It’s critical to build safe spaces and networks for women to have conversations and opportunities to learn, seeing as existing networks and exclusive structures create barriers for women

Ventures focused on the future

In the five years since The51 launched, we’ve activated $60 million in capital across three funds and funded 39 ventures led by women and gender-diverse founders and teams (*all inclusive of The51 Food and AgTech Fund).

Here are just a few examples of the businesses our community has been proud to stand by:

• Hyivy 

Founded by Rachel Bartholomew. Hyivy is a FemTech company that’s addressing outdated and inadequate pelvic health solutions. Driven to provide solutions that would tackle the issues that Rachel experienced firsthand after recovering from cervical cancer, Hyivy created the first intelligent and holistic pelvic rehabilitation device for women experiencing symptoms of pelvic cancers and diseases.

• VodaSafe

Founded by engineer Carlyn Loncaric, VodaSafe is the developer of AquaEye®, a fast, safe, and intelligent way to rapidly locate missing people in the water. Currently used on six continents and in 47 countries around the world, the device is making rescues and recoveries less dangerous and more efficient. 

• Pocketed

Co-founded by Brianna Blaney and Dr. Aria Hahn, Pocketed was created to eliminate financial barriers for business owners. Using an intelligent matching platform and funding solutions, Pocketed helps companies across North America access billions of dollars in grants, tax credits, and incentives. 

• Pngme

Led by Kenya-based CEO Lorraine Kageni Maina, Pngme is a FinTech venture that builds tools to understand users' financial behaviour to make data-driven lending decisions. Geared toward emerging markets, the platform has the potential to globally expand and enable financial institutions to create innovative products for the underserved population. 

• Kibbi

Created by Hong Phuc (HP) Nguyen, Kibbi is redefining the job search experience for newcomers. A multilingual platform that uses advanced algorithms to match job seekers with opportunities based on location and other preferences, Kibbi is lowering barriers by making the job market more inclusive and accessible.

Learn more about the impressive ventures we’re delighted to have in our portfolio here.