AI Salon - Week of 11/11

Invest in Women. Outperform the Market.

November 11, 2025

In partnership with

Hey ,

This week we’re tackling one of the most frustrating—and inspiring—findings in our Women in AI Report 2025: despite receiving just 2% of total VC funding, women-founded AI startups are outperforming their peers across growth, retention, and exit value.

It’s called the Performance Paradox—and it’s time investors, operators, and founders alike paid attention.

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🌟 Big Idea of the Week

The Funding Gap Is Real—but So Is the Outperformance

In 2024, women-founded AI startups made up only 2.3% of venture capital dollars raised, but represented 24% of venture-backed exits and saw an average 38% higher ROI per dollar invested than male-led teams. The problem isn’t potential—it’s perception. Many women founders told us they’re grilled on “risk mitigation” while men are asked about “growth opportunity.” The result: less capital, smaller teams, but stronger fundamentals.

Why it matters: As the AI sector matures, investors looking for durability—not hype—should be backing women. And for women founders, the data tells a new story: you’re already outperforming the odds.

This week’s challenge:

  • If you’re a founder: use this data in your next investor deck—make the paradox part of your pitch.

  • If you’re an ally: advocate for transparency in your firm’s investment breakdowns by gender and founder type.

  • If you’re an operator: look for women-led AI companies to partner with or join—they’re building sustainably.

🛠 Tactical Tip

1. Use Data as Armor
Include verified performance stats on gender parity in your next fundraising meeting—it reframes the conversation from bias to business.

2. Seek Out “Patient Capital”
Women-led startups often excel with value-aligned investors who prioritize long-term impact. Look into funds like Fearless Fund, January Ventures, and BBG Ventures.

3. Build Founder Circles
Connect with other women in AI through Tech Ladies’ founder community—peer accountability is the best antidote to fundraising fatigue.

💡 Spotlight: Women Pioneers in AI

Reshma Saujani – Founder of Girls Who Code and Moms First, Saujani is now advocating for economic infrastructure that supports women in entrepreneurship and AI innovation. Her mission? To ensure that care, capital, and creativity are treated as interconnected levers for equity.

Her call to action: “The future of innovation depends on who we decide to invest in.”

📰 Quick Hits: AI in the News

  • Sequoia launches $500M “AI for Good” fund, targeting startups tackling bias, health, and education challenges. Read more →

  • OpenAI launches AI Safety Labs to study systemic bias and representation across model training. Read more →

🤝 Community Happenings

  • Recommend AI Salon to a friend!

  • Share your AI wins: Did you prototype with AI this week? Reply and we’ll feature members in next week’s issue.

💬 Closing Note

Funding gaps may be systemic, but so is women’s excellence. The numbers are clear: when women get funded, they outperform. Let’s make sure that story gets told loudly—and often.

Until next week—keep leading, keep building, and keep proving the data right. ✨

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