By MarketWire
Keiretsu Forum, the world’s largest angel investment network, will host its 6th annual Summer Solstice event for women investors and entrepreneurs on Tuesday, June 21 at Hanson Bridgett LLP in San Francisco from 6:00pm until 8:30pm.
The Keiretsu Forum Summer Solstice is a “Call to Action” for female entrepreneurs and investors to help spur economic growth and recovery at a local, national, and global level. The event will include a networking reception as well as a panel discussion about the importance of the role of women investors. The panel will be hosted by members of the Keiretsu Forum and the Women Investing in and Supporting Entrepreneurship (WISE) committee.
Speakers include Joan Barnes, founder of Gymboree and Yoga Studio; Linda Jenkinson, CEO of LesConcierges and Keiretsu Forum investor member; Mary Jo Potter, CEO of Highperlink and Keiretsu Forum investor member, and Shirley Gee, Keiretsu Forum investor member.
Randy Williams, CEO/Founder of Keiretsu Forum, said, “More than ever, the angel investor community is eager to attract women participants.” He pointed out that a report by the Kauffman Foundation explains that while “women own half of this country’s wealth… [they] make up no more than eight percent of angel investors.” Women investors are considered a largely untapped market that is critical to “financial and mentoring support for new companies.”
With this in mind, Keiretsu Forum members established in June 2007 a Women Investing in and Supporting Entrepreneurs (WISE) committee to encourage increased involvement of women angel investors and entrepreneurs in the Bay Area early stage venture eco-system.
“We live in the heartland of the investment community, Northern California.” said Judith Iglehart, Keiretsu Forum President for International Chapter Development & Operations. “Most professional women here are over-achievers competing in various businesses. For years, women were only too familiar with the concept of ‘angel.’ It’s time they added the word ‘investor’ to it.”
