Encouraging women to embrace venture capital at the U of A Scottsdale Center

When University of Arizona alum Aly Saxe toured the U of A Scottsdale Center, she immediately saw the potential support for her passion project: educating women in Arizona about opportunities to invest in venture capital. 

Dubbed "The Jane Project," Saxe's free monthly gathering brings together women and allies who have all levels of exposure to the venture capital world – from those with very little knowledge to experienced entrepreneurs in the space. 

"We're here for the 'venture curious' to demystify what it means to invest in venture capital in Arizona, with programming designed to connect and elevate women in the space with a monthly meetup," Saxe said.

Saxe is motivated by a stark statistic as well as her experience working within the venture capital ecosystem: Out of an industry that raises nearly $110 billion every year, the amount of venture capital investment that goes to startups with women-only founders is less than 2%. 

Saxe's monthly meetup started with just a few women and men, who coalesced around the issue. Her gatherings now draw an average of 40 attendees, consisting of high-net-worth individuals, prospective investors, entrepreneurs and representatives from seed funds. The Jane Project will meet regularly at the U of A Scottsdale Center, giving a space to the important effort to boost investment in the local economy. Interested in the next meetup? Follow Aly on LinkedIn and watch for the next gathering on the U of A Scottsdale Center calendar.