Flying Fox is an early stage capital company that propels Australian and New Zealand companies across the globe.

Flying Fox

Flying Fox Ventures

We're thrilled to announce that LaunchVic has supported us, through a sizeable grant, to design and deliver a unique (and much needed) pre-accelerator program to increase the quantity and quality of female founders coming through the system.

While 38% of our capital is behind female founders currently, we recognize that female founders face unique challenges and barriers in accessing funding and resources. By establishing a program specifically tailored to support and uplift women entrepreneurs, we aim to level the playing field, nurture talent, and unlock the untapped potential of female-led startups. We are so grateful for the support that we are receiving from LaunchVic that enables us to do this work in a high-quality and accessible way; they have been a critical support structure for the Victorian ecosystem - and Flying Fox - since the beginning.  This grant is testament to their recognition of the need and opportunity in supporting female founders and taking action to empower firms like ours to provide high quality programs to meet these shared objectives.

It’s the right thing to do from a values perspective; but it’s also the right thing to do from a value perspective.  This will give us the unfair advantage of seeing emerging female founders first before anyone else and enviable deal flow.  We know this initiative will be a win-win-win all around: help build a more diverse and equitable ecosystem, support underestimate founders on their journey, and build an unfair advantage with female and diverse founders.  

We hope to activate as much of our community of founders and investors as possible to foster sharing and learning from each other in a rewarding way.  If you know any amazing folks who might be right for this program, send them over to the Flying Fox Female Founders (F4) Program page (https://lnkd.in/g9PdfJAt) where they can apply - we're wasting no time: first cohort kicking off in September with Chenelle Tanglao quarterbacking the cohort!

cc: Rachael Neumann Kylie Frazer Bree Kirkham Jeramina Guntang Kate Cornick

On Friday, Flying Fox Ventures' partner Rachael Neumann had the honour of moderating a panel where all three founders of Angel City Football Club (Julie Uhrman, Kara Nortman, and Natalie Portman) joined the stage (together for the first time ever) at the Sydney Opera House.  She led the discussion on how ACFC was fueled by personal passion, built in a completely new paradigm, and how it exists to win on the field, in the community, and to propel women's sports and equity forward more broadly.

While Rachael is our resident mad sports fan, the parallels between the lessons we learn on the field of play and in the field of startups and business, are not lost on us. 

⚽🚀 The world of women's soccer and startups share a powerful similarities like overcoming barriers, being often underestimated, undervalued, misunderstood, and yet displaying an unwavering determination to achieve a goal 🏆

🔗 Just as women's soccer teams harness their collective strength to score goals, startups thrive when diverse talents unite to innovate and drive success. Teamwork isn't just a strategy – it's the lifeline that fuels progress.

🚧 Barriers are meant to be broken. Women's soccer - be it ACFC, the USWNT, the Commbank Matildas (just to name a few faves) - has faced challenges head-on, shattering stereotypes and pushing boundaries. Similarly, startups grapple with obstacles, transforming setbacks into stepping stones toward growth.

🌍 Success in women's soccer isn't merely confined to the pitch; it extends to inspiring generations, highlighting the importance of representation and empowerment. Startups, too, impact lives beyond balance sheets, pioneering solutions that shape our world.

🌪️ Resilience is what makes it possible to go up against the 'impossible'. Triumphs and hardships, victories and losses – they all shape the journey towards - and beyond - greatness. Women's soccer and startups teach us that each setback is a setup for an even grander comeback.

Let's draw inspiration from the indomitable spirit of the players on the pitch and the insane talent and grit we're seeing at this FIFA Women's World Cup - celebrating their achievements as a mirror to the resilience, collaboration, and unwavering pursuit of excellence that define the startup ecosystem. 🌈⚡

#WomenInSoccer #StartupResilience #ExcellenceOnAndOffTheField #OvercomingBarriers #InspirationFromSports #ACFC #fifawwc #beyondgreatness 

cc: Kylie Frazer Bree Kirkham Jane Fernandez Stephanie Rudnick Kim Anderson Sarah Walsh

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Flying Fox