The phenomenal opportunity investors are missing – Sharon Vosmek, CEO, Astia

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UKTN

Technology, Entrepreneur, Tech, Business, Hr, Sales, Uktech, Investing, Funding, Entrepreneurship, Marketing

5 • 6 Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sharon Vosmek, chief executive and managing partner of Astia, discusses why backing female founders isn't just morally right, but also financial prudent, why not all definitions of women-led startups are equal and the danger of 'fomo' in investing.

Astia is an inclusive venture capital group that seeks to address the vast and stagnant gap in funding for women-led businesses.

Transcript

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0:00.0	So we're looking for inclusive teams. And I think that's really important to highlight.
0:15.0	We're not saying women only. We're not saying women focused. It really is inclusion.
0:20.0	Investors are missing phenomenal opportunities,
0:26.7	and I think their inability to see and hear the opportunity that is presented by companies
0:32.3	that include women is where the failure or the break in the market occurs.
0:44.6	One could argue that AI is having a very similar moment to dot com,
0:50.2	and FOMO or fear of missing out in our industry is real, and it's a danger. From the first time founders to the funds that back them, innovation needs different.
1:00.0	Our episode partner, HSBC innovation banking, is proud to accelerate growth for tech and life science businesses,
1:07.0	creating meaningful connections and opening up a world of opportunity for entrepreneurs
1:12.2	and investors alike. Discover more at www.h.hsbc InnovationBanking.com slash EN-GB.
1:26.9	Hello and welcome to the UKTN podcast, a weekly chat with the movers and shakers of the UK
1:32.3	tech industry and the destination for all things UK tech related. I'm your host, Jane Wakefield,
1:38.0	and today I'm joined by Sharon Vosmec, CEO and managing partner of Astya, a venture capital firm which describes itself as a global
1:46.6	pioneer in investing in companies led by women. Welcome, Sharon. Thank you, Jane. Now, let's talk
1:53.3	through what it is to be investing in companies led by women. What does that mean in practice? Does that
2:00.1	mean companies that you're
2:01.7	deliberately checking, have a CEO and a founder that is female? Or is it just having females on the
2:07.3	board? How do you sort of go about working out, you know, whether someone qualifies for your investment?
2:13.7	So for us to consider investment, we look for companies that include at least one woman in a position of equity and influence.
2:22.2	Equity is we look at the cap table. So is she in a position of ownership commensurate with her male counterparts?
2:29.4	And then influence is, is she in the C suite or the executive suite that's driving the strategy of the business?
2:35.4	We're often asked about if she's in the boardroom. Does that count? That actually doesn't from our
	...

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