Women in Investing
To celebrate International Women's Day, we want to shine a light on the incredible women who are part of our investor community.
This week, our Head of Community Building, Susan Dwyer, had the privilege of interviewing Heather Morris, Managing Director at Founders Talent Accelerator. Heather is not only a seasoned investor but also a trusted advisor in the field.
Heather graciously shares her investing journey, from its humble beginnings to where she stands today. She discusses how she overcame challenges and offers invaluable advice to women who are eager to venture into the world of investing but may feel daunted by its complexities.
Q. Biggest lessons learned about investing from your time in Silicon Valley?
I wore lots of different hats during my time in California and worked with companies of all different sizes. Having sat on many sides of the proverbial table, I’ve had the opportunity to develop a multi-faceted understanding of the challenges, motivations and opportunities that are part of the journey in starting and growing a company.
That said, regardless of what role you play – founder, investor, advisor, operator, cheerleader or shoulder to cry on – the critical element is in applying emotional intelligence and exercising your empathy.
So much of early-stage investing is about the human relationships that we make and grow over time. Sometimes you’re on the yacht drinking champagne, other times you’re desperately clinging to the buoy to keep your head above water. In either case, we shouldn’t get too comfortable, or forget how we got there.
A rising tide lifts all boats.
Q. In your opinion, what are the most exciting trends or opportunities in the investment landscape today?
The most exciting opportunity that I can see in the investment landscape is talent investing, which is the reason I agreed to help launch the Founders Talent Accelerator here in Ireland.
Even before a company has started, or cofounders have met, we take a bet on the fact that insanely smart, talented people will be able to solve big, globally relevant problems. We pay them a monthly grant to find their cofounder, ideate, and engage in customer discovery. At the end of a 12-week program, we invest in the best ideas and help them scale and raise capital.
We are not the only one, nor are we the first; this model has been refined and developed globally over the last ten years. We are, however, the first in Ireland, which gives us a unique advantage. Over the last two decades, the amount of foreign investment into this country, in terms of the big tech companies setting up their European headquarters in Ireland, as well as the investment into creating top tier educational systems, has created an immense amount of tech talent. There is also a steady inflow of talented individuals who have left the country, worked in major tech firms, and are now returning home with unique insights and networks.
At the same time, we are early days into a massive technological shift with the ability to leverage AI in new ways and dramatically change the way we interact with our world well into the future.
The collision of these two factors mean that the next Sam Altman, Melanie Perkins, Collison brothers, and Whitney Wolfe Herd are starting companies today – and we intend to find them!
Q. What advantages does society gain from increased female participation in investment activities?
A recent report by European Women in VC found that the performance of VC firms increased with higher representation of women in senior management, and in fact that those teams that were majority- or all-women led outperformed all-male teams by nearly 10%. Further, it found that the diverse teams had lower volatility overall, meaning they’re better able to weather downturns.
We also know that female VCs are 2-3x more likely to invest in female-founded startups, perhaps contributing to the superior performance.
From a purely capitalist perspective, there is a lot of money to be made by backing female investors and entrepreneurs.
There are lots of other reasons, but I’d rather not dilute the point.
Q. What advice would you give to other women who are interested in getting started in investing but feel intimidated by the financial world?
The short answer – don’t be! There are a lot of terms and lingo thrown around, but at the core it’s not rocket science. Finding a few people who have done it before to talk through various strategies and advice can be really helpful to get up the learning curve. Just like any other asset class, incorporating varying levels of risk and return in your overall financial plan is a smart way to create the financial future that you want for yourself.
In practical terms, there are some very good sources of data and information out there that can help you get up to speed with the state of play of the market. I always geek out on the data that comes out of Carta in terms of where capital is (and isn’t) flowing and at what terms. I follow Peter Walker on LinkedIn (Head of Insights at Carta) who shares the data regularly in digestible increments.
Q. What are your hopes for the future of women in finance and investing?
My daughter just turned five, and I can tell you – she is a going to be an absolute force to be reckoned with. In 20 years, when she’s launching her third startup after two successful exits (and winning the Tour de France Femmes in between just for the craic), I will tell her the story of how things used to be. How ‘back in my day’, women only raised 3% of global VC assets under management, and that female-only founding teams raised less than 2% of the total capital deployed. She’ll accuse me of being a liar, and we’ll both share a laugh at how ridiculous that all sounds.
Any other future is unacceptable, but hope is not a strategy. I have a plan.
If you're curious about starting your own investing journey or seeking to grow your wealth, we're here to help. Reach out to us to learn more about how you can get started with investing.
Important Information
WARNING: This is a marketing communication. This document is not a contractually binding document and has been prepared for information purposes only. It is not intended as and does not constitute a personal recommendation. Please do not base any final investment decision on this communication alone.
Warning: The value of your investments may go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invest
