Hyderabad: Big bucks may be chasing startups all over the world, but it is still men who control the purse strings. The angel investor community is no different as is evident from the numbers — only 1% of over 6,000 angel investors in India are women.
The figures are not very impressive in developed markets such as Europe and US either. While only 5% of the 75,000 angel investors in Europe are women, the US fares slightly better with 20% women among over 3 lakh angel investors.
It is to bridge this gap that city-based incubator T-Hub and Anthill, a speed scaling platform for early growth stage startups, on Tuesday announced the launch of the Indian chapter of the newly-floated Smart Women Angels Network (SWAN) in the city. SWAN set up its first chapter in Barcelona recently and is eyeing startup hotspots such as Silicon Valley, Singapore and Hong Kong in the coming days.
“We recognize the potential of women investing in startups and how they are a crucial part of the global startup ecosystem. The percentage of women investors around the world is very less. SWAN believes in creating an inclusive network that can make a positive difference,” said SWAN President Cristina Ventura Serra.
Anthill founder CEO Prasad Vanga said that angel investors cannot expect immediate returns after investing in startups and may have to wait between three to nine years.
“With the launch of SWAN, we want to bring more women investors into the startup space in India. In addition to our partnership with T-Hub, we hope to transform the Indian startup ecosystem by creating valuable partnerships, both nationally and internationally, that will help scale startups,” he said.
Source: Times of India
