Ecosystem Overview
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[00:00:00]
Hi, I'm Lisa Erhart, founder of Funding for Growth and longtime advocate for getting real money into the hands of women who are building real businesses. Today I want to talk to you about something that's quietly holding many of us back, the funding system. Let's start with this. Did you know that women-led startups deliver more than double the return on investment, yet we still receive just two to 3% of venture capital in Australia?
Or did you know that 46% of small businesses are women owned? But most of the funding programs out there weren't designed with us in mine. And the real kicker. We are leaving 128 billion in economic value on the table by not properly backing women. [00:01:00] This isn't just a gender issue, it's a national productivity problem.
Now, before you roll your eyes and another statistic, here's what's important. You're not imagining it. It's not just you and you're not doing it wrong. The system was not built for us. It was built for high burn, high risk tech plays. It wasn't built for the silent meditation retreats, the golf social apps, or the regional consultants creating jobs in their towns.
But here's the good news. Things are changing. I. Slowly, yes, but momentum is building. There are programs like coralis offering zero interest loans. There's real success in places like South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, and I've been working with the federal government on something called the 3 6 5 Initiative.
It is a national blueprint to create better pathways to funding for women like you [00:02:00] and I. But in the meantime, let me give you five things that you can do right now to take back control of your capital journey. Number one, know your capital personality. You don't have to raise venture capital to be successful.
Some businesses need grants. Others need low interest loans. Ask yourself, do I want fast growth or do I want freedom? Freedom and stability. Number two, make yourself grant ready. Get your story tight, get your numbers ready. Learn to speak their language.
Number three, join an ecosystem, not just a program. You don't need another six weeks course. You need connections, introductions, and people who will open doors. That's what we're building here at Funding 4 Growth. Number four, build a Trust file. Think of it as your internal brag book, testimonials, screenshots, quotes, stats.
It's all [00:03:00] the stuff funders and partners will want to see. So keep it close. It's time to talk money unapologetically. Don't shrink your pricing. Don't whisper your goals. You are the future of Australia's innovation economy, so time to act like it. It. Let me leave you with this. The system wasn't built for us, but we are building something better and we are doing it together.
