How Can Startup Founders Raise Capital While Expecting?

go through Pafeniuk asked

Female founders are severely undervalued. Even though women make up 38% of business owners, there are only new startups with female founders Always only get 2% to 3% of venture capital. This speaks volumes about the long-standing gender bias in the entrepreneurial space.

In a system where women have to work harder to be recognized, the added complexity of pregnancy can feel like an almost insurmountable obstacle.

But already navigated Successful Series A financing Fund my new startup TianjinI learned firsthand during my pregnancy that it is not impossible to achieve your financing goals with a baby on board.

Continuing to raise capital while pregnant is not an added burden, but a testament to your passion and commitment, and a great opportunity to highlight your team’s skills-building and long-term vision – all qualities of venture capital. looking for In founder.

maintain transparency

Investing money from investors does not guarantee that a startup will survive, let alone generate a return on investment. Trust is an important part of a founder-investor relationship, and disclosing the pregnancy demonstrates the honesty and openness they value.

Seasoned investors have seen it all, and no new startup is without its share of difficulties. If you’re not pregnant, you’ll have different challenges, so don’t put your fundraising plans on hold just because you’re pregnant.

As long as you can demonstrate your commitment to your product and your ability to meet future challenges, investors will show understanding – as demonstrated by Zing’s Series A funding round in just six months.

Do you face bias? undoubtedly. a huge 62% of female founders report experiencing discrimination during the fundraising process, regardless of pregnancy. Consider this honesty a blessing. You’re going to have to work closely with this person as your business grows, so would you rather know their questionable opinions before or after you sign on the dotted line?

Plan for disruption

Investors are extremely risk-averse, part of the reason 2% of venture capital available to female-led startups. It’s not clear whether you’ll need to be absent for extended periods of time to focus on your health, or whether your interest in starting a business will wane when you become a mother, but investors will want a clear understanding of how this might affect their investments.

A comprehensive maternity plan – detailing any anticipated absences, how responsibilities will be delegated during the absence and how the company plans to handle any issues – will reassure investors. This will also allow you to adapt quickly if something goes wrong.

You will face unique challenges that add to the complexity of leading a new venture. For me, intense cravings and constant bathroom breaks seem destined to interrupt important meetings.

But you’re the founder, so this isn’t the first time you’ve dealt with the unexpected. Pregnancy is just another challenge in your company’s journey, so treat it like any other challenge.

Put your health first

Sometimes entrepreneurship feels like a competition to see who works the most and sleeps the least. It’s not the healthiest way to live, and pain during pregnancy will only make it worse. It’s an incredible burden – and, with your children’s health to worry about, now is not the time to try to prove your unwavering resilience.

While you shouldn’t put your fundraising on hold, you should put post-meeting parties and long business trips on hold. Take a break, listen to your body, put your health first, and you’ll be back leading your team in no time. But neglecting your body will only hurt your productivity and motivation, delay your return to work, and hurt your startup’s prospects of meeting its funding goals.

Pafeniuk asked is CEO and co-founder Coach Jina personal training app powered by artificial intelligence. She has over a decade of experience launching and promoting health and fitness products. Under her leadership, Zing Coach has surpassed 1 million downloads and achieved the highest retention rate among competitors (reportedly) sensor tower), which recently raised $10 million in Series A funding. In addition to her achievements in fitness technology, Parfenyuk is a passionate advocate for female leadership and is active in organizations including Global Female Leaders and The Female Lead.

Related reading:

Illustration: Dom Guzman