Denmark – Module 3 – Diversity Venture Fund

Are you a female tech founder/leader/founder identifying as a woman in the digital tech sector raising capital OR investor looking for more diverse deal flow?

If so, look no further, Diversity Venture Fund is what you need

Diversity Venture Fund is Module 3 of Tech Nordic Advocates’ 3-module international female tech founder growth programme ”Denmark as Female Tech Founder Frontrunner” – Europe’s only international female tech founder growth programme, headline funded by the Danish Industry Foundation. The not-for-profit Diversity Venture Fund convenes Danish and international investors/venture funds, pursuing independent investment strategies and committed to investing in female tech founders/companies, led by women/founders identifying as a woman

Diversity Venture Fund Addresses a series of key challenges – entry barriers – many female tech founders/leaders/founders identifying as a woman face on their capital raise journey:

Startups make an increasing contribution to innovation, economic growth, exports and jobs, especially in the high-growth digital/tech sector
Access to capital is a critical success factor
Only around 1% of venture capital in Denmark is invested in all-women founding teams. Less than 8% in mixed-gender teams
Investors allocate 1.3 x more capital to all-men than all-women founding teams
Average seed and series A-rounds are 52.5% smaller for all-women founding teams
The consequence is lost talent, innovation, growth, jobs and equality

This Programme is changing that

The Diversity Venture Fund‘s goal is to improve access to capital for female tech founders/tech companies, led by women/founders identifying as a woman.

We mean a female founder of a startup/scaleup, supported/underpinned by digital/technology – from selling your products online to a deep tech business

Any female tech founder/founder identifying as female from anywhere in Denmark – whether part of Module 1 or 2 or not involved in the “Denmark as Female Tech Founder Frontrunner Programme” at all can apply to the Diversity Venture Fund

Information for Founders

Apply Here

Information for Investors

Join the Diversity Venture Fund

What investors are involved?

Who can apply?

Any fundraising female tech founder/leader/identifying as female (pre-launch to exit) from within or outside ”Denmark as Female Tech Founder Frontrunner”

How does it work?

You send your pitch deck to the Diversity Venture Fund: wit@technordicadvocates.org
We screen your pitch deck to ensure investment readiness
You attend a free ”Office Hour” with Magnusson – Diversity Venture Fund legal partner to ensure you understand all legal aspects of fundraising
Subject to your pitch deck being investor-ready and following your ”Office Hour”:
– The Secretariat shares your pitch deck with Diversity Venture Fund investor(s)
– Diversity Venture Fund investors schedule meetings with you within two weeks
– You/investor(s) meet to discuss your pitch
– Investor(s) provide(s) post-meeting practical feedback with next steps
Non-investor-ready pitch decks will be returned with specific actions required to become investor ready within two weeks

What are the costs & benefits?
TNA Diversity Venture Fund enables you to:

Get your pitch deck in front of investors whom you know have committed to investing in female tech founder/leader/founder identifying as a woman
Meet with pre-qualified investors who will take a serious look at your pitch and provide you with practical feedback and next steps
As a result of the above, substantially increase your chances of securing the capital you need to launch, grow and scale your digital/technology sector business – and on fair terms

Info for investors – Who can join?

TNA Diversity Venture Fund welcomes:

Any Danish or international investors who have already stated a minimum commitment (mission, vision, values, strategy, business objectives) to invest in women-led businesses with a female (co)founder or c-suite leader/(co)founder/leader identifying as a woman
Investors that have not yet made such a commitment/embedded those principles in their vision/mission/values/strategy/business objectives but are committed to doing so within six months of joining

How do investors get onboard and then what?

Investors who would like to join TNA Diversity Venture Fund should email: wit@technordicadvocates.org
Investors who meet the above criteria and express an interest in joining are assessed through a due-diligence process

Why should investors join the Diversity Venture Fund?

Access to greater, pre-qualified deal-flow, economies of scale and increased speed to market incl. through potential partnerships/ syndicates with other Diversity Venture Fund members
Access to a diverse portfolio of founders and businesses
Key role in correcting the access to capital gender imbalance in digital/tech innovation in Denmark
A significant contribution to the execution of own diversity and inclusion agenda and commitments

With the Diversity Venture Fund, we commit to removing what is currently a substantial access to capital barrier for many female tech founders/leaders/founders identifying as women. This requires medium/long-term investor commitments, incl. to remove gender bias across the sector. Some have already done so through the Diversity Commitment initiative. Others remain to do so. All investors joining the Diversity Venture Fund commit to such commitments at three levels; financial, operational & communications:

Female tech founder/diversity investment criteria

Within a 3-year period from joining:

Min. 20% of new investments in startups with a female founder or c-suite leader/founder or c-suite leader identifying as female
Min. 20% of new money invested in startups with a female founder or c-suite leader/founder or c-suite leader identifying as female

Operational code of conduct

Receiving prequalified pitch decks from the Diversity Venture Fund
Responding to and taking qualifying meetings with shared prospects within two weeks
Providing practical feedback on pitch decks following meeting within one week
Participating in pitch events organized by the Diversity Venture Fund
Inviting Diversity Venture Fund prospects to own pitch events
Sharing information about focus area(as): sector/subsector, technologies, and investment stage(s) to enable the Secretariat to send the right pitch decks to the right investors

Code of conduct – Communication

Proactively promoting and engaging in “Denmark as female entrepreneurship front runner” external communications about commitment to investing in female founders
Featuring on “Denmark as female entrepreneurship front runner” Diversity Venture Fund investor list subject to the stated commitments
Dual branding/accreditation criteria (showing platform logo on own website)