A Swedish entrepreneur plans to launch a Female Fund in Luxembourg in the first half of 2023. The structure will initially focus on attracting women to invest in real estate. Down the line, it is expected to include VC for women-founded companies, among other subcategories.
Recent research shows that just 1% of European VC goes to female-led startups, a problem that is exacerbated by the lack of female representation in VC firms. Female Fund founder Lovisa Löwenborg reckons that the cause of VC gender inequality is a combination of VCs not prioritising women-led startups and women founders being afraid to take on investors.
“I would like to work with women who have experience in VC investments and see if the Female Fund can find a way of offering VC in a way in which female entrepreneurs feel comfortable to come and see that there are opportunities,” the entrepreneur explained.
Löwenborg sees the VC part of the fund as being a financial vehicle and a community, with role models and mentoring.
“Having a friend to hold your hand or being part of a community is key to taking action”
Lovisa Löwenborg
Entrepreneur at 18
An entrepreneur since the age of 18, she made her first real estate investments when she was 20. In her native Sweden, she became a household name in the women-centric investment community when in 2018 she co-founded the Women in Real Estate Network (Wire). “I saw that there was a tipping point to invite women. Because in the beginning, we weren’t many.”
The peer-to-peer learning platform evolved into an investment company with a crowd investment structure for female investors. Today the Wire community counts over 600 women active in the structure, which has completed over 21 real estate investments.
“Some of them are big investors and do this to be part of the network. Others never invested before and did their first tickets,” said Löwenborg, adding: “They all have different reasons but I feel that we are doing this together. Having a friend to hold your hand or being part of a community is key to taking action.”
Löwenborg is setting up the Female Fund in Luxembourg in order to have a regulated, cross-border structure. Tickets in the real estate component of the professional fund will start at €125K, although there are plans to create smaller investment companies enabling investors to participate with smaller tickets.
The founder said: “I really see a big interest regarding this VC compartment. And if I find the right partners, I’m more than happy to open it up.”
