Jesse Draper
“I’ll be raising a venture capital fund against a first-time manager who is a male and has had zero experience, yet I will know that he got a million-dollar check from someone, and then that person will write me a check for a quarter of that. Unfortunately, that’s just what happens because men control most of the capital. They bet smaller on women. So, what I try to do with my fund is bet earlier and bigger on more diverse companies.
“The data is there that if women come into wealth, then they will more likely invest it in diverse teams and women, and that’s what we need. We need to create the next female billionaire.”
How to do better: “It’s about elevating other women. If you’re on a public board, pull up another woman and help her get on a board. Make time to sit down with young women—you never know where one of those meetings is going to lead.”
—Jesse Draper is founder of Los Angeles–based venture capital fund Halogen Ventures, which promotes female-founded and female-led technology consumer businesses. Halogen’s portfolio companies include Sugarfina, Laurel & Wolf interior design and Naya Health, the maker of the first FDA-approved smart breast pump. halogenvc.com
