Abstract

Prior research reveals that women are less likely to launch growth-oriented firms than men. Further, when women do attempt to grow their firms, they do so with smaller amounts of financial capital, typically generated by internal rather than external sources. The gender funding gap is particularly evident in the category of external equity or capital provided by angel investors and venture capitalists, the majority of whom are men. Based on Thomas Dewey’s principles of experiential education, the Rising Tide Angel Training Program was designed to increase the number of women angel investors capable of investing in a greater number of women-owned firms. This chapter provides a description of the Rising Tide program and results from the first training cohort.