Astia launches venture fund investing in women-led startups
Mastercard is lead investor in $100m fund
Less than 2% of venture capital was invested into women CEOs in 2020, according to Astia research
A $100m early-stage venture fund which will invest globally in high-growth companies that have at least one woman in an executive equity-holding position has been launched by Silicon Valley-headquartered Astia.
The Astia fund has been led by an investment from Mastercard, with additional investors including Priya Mathur, past president of the board of CalPERS; Jim O'Neill, former chief economist and former chairman of asset management at Goldman Sachs, Farvatn Venture, Portola Creek Capital and Tides Foundation; and several members of Toniic, a global network of impact investors.