[NEW YORK, DEC. 5, 2024] – 100 Women in Finance (“100WF”), a global finance industry network committed to empowering women in finance, is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its FundWomen initiative. The initiative is the first of its kind and includes a signature, week-long event, Global FundWomen Week (“GFWW”), designed to specifically drive capital allocations to female fund managers. This effort is critical to increase visibility and opportunity for these managers and aligns with 100WF’s Vision 30/40 to have women occupy 30% of senior investment and executive roles by 2040. 100WF also announces the next GFWW will be held on December 9-12, 2025, including an in-person event in New York City on December 11, 2025. Applications for the event will open in May 2025.
This year marks the 10th year of FundWomen, a movement started by two female fund managers in California to channel capital specifically to women-run investment funds. Over the past decade, the program has grown exponentially, helped by the far-reaching network of our dedicated volunteers and the generous support of our sponsors.
The first 100 Women in Finance Conference in 2014 brought together 14 allocators and 14 managers. Today, over 350 managers and over 370 allocators take part in GFWW, which, while still free for all participants, has grown into a virtual week-long global capital introduction conference specifically aimed at female fund managers, culminating with an in-person event featuring managers and allocators [across the global investment community]. GFWW has facilitated approximately 4,000 individual one-to-one and small group meetings between LPs and GPs, alongside panel events dedicated to improving transparency into the universe of diverse-owned and -led funds, leading to significant allocations to these funds.
“Global FundWomen Week has provided us with a unique opportunity to connect with investors from across the world, the reach and breadth of which was really outstanding. We are grateful to 100 Women in Finance for providing this platform free of charge to emerging women managers like ourselves,” said Maria Simona Jelescu Dreyfus, the Chief Executive Officer of Ardinall Investment Management.
“I had a wonderful and productive experience participating with 100 Women in Finance during Global FundWomen Week. In addition to the knowledgeable event speakers, I met several high-caliber, under-the-radar and top-performing female-led investment managers through the 1:1 meetings. These managers should be included in the search process of any discerning institutional allocator,” added Rod June, the Chief Investment Officer of Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System (LACERS).
Alongside hosting the flagship GFWW conference, 100WF runs a Visibility campaign, which elevates the industry profile of female investment professionals, and collaborates with impact-oriented organizations, such as IADEI (Institutional Allocators for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and AAAIM (The Association of Asian American Investment Managers). In 2023, 100WF re-launched its FundWomen directory, where, together with its technology partner CLADE and partner organizations, it gathers data on diverse-owned funds, including female-led funds and Asian American-led funds. Today, the database includes over 1,900 funds and over 700 institutional allocators.
“The directory is the largest open-source database of diverse-owned and diverse-led investment firms. We enable institutional allocators to include a broader range of dimensions of diversity in their investment funnels by facilitating direct engagement with managers through pitch sessions, through the interactive manager database, and via dedicated events,” commented Sophia Tsai, Managing Director of Trinity Church Wall Street, who is also the Co-Founder and Steering Committee Member of IADEI.
“The database also allows our respective teams to host ongoing educational content for fund managers and peer-to-peer events for allocators on DEI governance, sourcing diverse talent, equitable underwriting, and effective monitoring and engagement,” stated Jim Park, the Chief Executive Officer of AAAIM.
For more information on FundWomen, the FundWomen Directory powered by CLADE or Global FundWomen Week please visit https://fundwomenweek.100women.org
Join our movement! We value your participation and partnership. Please contact Sarah Finley, Global Director, FundWomen to learn more about partnership opportunities at fundwomen@100women.org.
Please direct media inquiries to media@100women.org.
View 2023 GFWW Post Event Report
100 Women in Finance
100 Women in Finance is a global nonprofit membership organization established in 2001, committed to advancing women in the finance industry to achieve their professional potential at every career stage. Our diverse membership spans 30+ locations worldwide and is fueled by a network of global volunteers and corporate partners who collaborate to deliver our education, peer engagement, and impact initiatives. We strengthen the global finance industry by enabling female talent to attain roles that reflect their capacity to serve as executives and investors. Vision 30/40 is our guiding principle in which women will hold 30% of senior investment and executive roles by 2040. Visit 100women.org to learn more.