Francesca (Check) Warner

👏 Thank you Amelia Hill for highlighting the huge challenges facing women raising investment for their #femtech businesses. 💰 In the one tech sector where you might assume that a #femalefounder would be a pre-requisite for investment, or at least a big advantage, the opposite is true! Male-only founding teams do much better with investors. 🗞 According to research by Ludovica Castiglia, women might be self-sabotaging if they prioritise the social impact of their femtech startup. Again, the opposite is true if you're a male founder. 🚺 Kirsten Connell says that most investors are men & their gendered assumptions feed into men getting more funding, even if they make femtech products and use the same words. I put it down to trust. 😇 So what's the solution? There isn't a simple quick fix, but we know that female investors are 2X more likely to back female founders than men are, so we need far more of them - both in institutions and as angel investors. (check out Angel Academe - increasing female investment) Read the article here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eeiAyckR The Guardian Amber Vodegel Sian Jarvis, CB, FRCGP(H) Evie Mulberry Jodie O'Keeffe Meganne Houghton-Berry Tom Britton Laura Meyer Jane Clemetson FRSA Rosalind Singleton Emer Hughes Charlotte D. Emma Sinclair MBE Ramona Liberoff Anjali Ramachandran Cordelia Meacher Angela Cretu Robin Beattie Mei Chung Mark Pattenden

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Last week was Mental Health Awareness Week - I spoke with Daniel from Balderton Capital and Hayley Hand from Better Society Capital on The Mindful VC podcast to share more on our approach to founder mental health. Here are a few of the key ways we're supporting our founders: 1. The Playfair Wellness Programme (https://lnkd.in/ebhaMdsP) which we've been running for the last four years 2. The Founder Mental Health Pledge for which we're proud to be one of 12 founding adopters. The clause expressly states that these VCs “support founders using a portion of the received funds specified in this term sheet to treat, at their discretion, the direct costs of caring for their mental well-being…as a legitimate, worthwhile, and encouraged business expense.” 3. Encouraging a close, 1-1 relationship with our founders from day one, putting us on the same side and creating safe spaces to share challenges and anxieties, not just the "up-and-to-the-right" successes. Thank you Chris Elphick and the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) for organising a discussion around such an important topic. https://lnkd.in/eFB443B7 #founders #mentalhealth #startups #vc

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Loved making these films for E Co. and Mariella de Souza-Baker. We were able to create 15 separate thought leadership films for their YouTube channel from just one day of shooting. Each film was scripted in advance and then people from the company popped in for 30 mins each to film their videos by reading from an autocue and talking directly to camera. A great example of how businesses are using YouTube to establish themselves as industry thought leaders. Please do check out E Co. , who are a fantastic environmental consultancy, helping the world be a little bit greener. #brandedcontent #VideoProduction, #FilmMaking, #ContentCreation, #FilmProduction, #CorporateVideo, #VideoMarketing, #Videography.

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Cutting-edge gut biome therapies are transforming the lives of autistic individuals as we experienced at Multiple’s Fireside Chat on August 22nd. Back in August Multiple hosted a virtual event featuring Gut-Brain Axis Therapeutics (GBAT) and its visionary CEO, Jim Adams. As a pioneer in gut-brain research for autism, Adams shared invaluable insights about the company and its transformative therapeutic approach. GBAT is making significant strides in clinical trials, focusing on: Pitt Hopkins syndrome: A rare genetic disorder on the autism spectrum Autism-specific trials: Ongoing research for both adults and children Jim's detailed GBAT's strategic approach, starting with Pitt Hopkins—which has qualified for the FDA's fast-track program. Additionally, GBAT is planning a Phase 3 clinical trial designed to pave the way for insurance coverage for autistic children and adults. Meanwhile GBAT's fundraising model sets it apart in the autism biotech landscape: Focus on autism families: Eschewing traditional VC and institutional investors Preserving affordability: Avoiding profit-driven price increases that could limit access Impressive results: $6 million raised from 50 families pre-event, many of whom are VCs and sophisticated investors Event success: Additional $600,000 raised from seven attendees of the fireside chat This approach underscores GBAT's commitment to keeping treatments accessible to all who need them. Jim's strategy represents a significant accomplishment for Multiple, which has been working closely with him throughout this process. The fireside chat format also proved particularly impactful, featuring four parents who shared their experiences, bringing to life the life changing potential of GBAT’s therapies: Personal insights on their children's participation in clinical trials of microbiota transplant therapy (MTT) Profound impacts on how the trials significantly affected their children and family lives The event was met with enthusiasm, with participants expressing deep appreciation for the opportunity to learn about these cutting-edge therapies. It sparked excitement about the future of gut-brain therapeutics and GBAT's potential to make a lasting difference in the autism community. Full recording available here <https://lnkd.in/gkhbmchP> Reach out to [email protected] if you want to learn more!

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Last year back in September, while at NIIFL, I was working with some extremely experienced and passionate ladies on organizing a networking event for women investment professionals on behalf of Ekika, the women's diversity initiative of The organisation. What shocked and appalled me then, was the high extent of underrepresention of women in the financial services, as well as the entrepreneurial ecosytem, and the minimal interventional actions undertaken across the industries, to bridge this gap and boost diversity . Fast forward to April, I came across a report on The ET, which provided some alarming statistics on the issue of underrepresention of women in the industry. The share of VC funding going to female founders dropped to just 9.3% in 2023, compared to 14.7% in 2021. In crux, the status quo remains unaltered. The news of a reputed accelerator having an all - men panel of speakers in an event featuring Investors and Operators has taken the internet by storm, and rightly so, as this action is highly reprimanadable and portrays a harsh yet accurate picture of the persisting unconscious biases that grapple us. Having said that, I would like to recognize some wonderful women investors, operators and industry bodies who have been working tirelessly to make this space more inclusive, and democratized:- 1) Winpe led by Nupur Garg 2) Women In Product an initiative by The Product Folks 3) Girls Into VC led by Isabella Mandis 4) Global Women in VC led by Sutian Dong Dong Some other initiatives, and women worth mentioning:- 1) Included VC led by the wonderful Nikita Thakrar 2) Nicole DeTommaso of Harlem Capital 3) Natalie Neptune 4) Anu Panesar of Sie Ventures Please let me know if I have missed out on any intiative/ investor spearheading change, would be happy to add on. Also, have tagged some wonderful women leaders who have inspired me through their passion and grit, and gifted me the courage to speak out. Shagoofa Rashid Khan Ambalika Banerji Saloni Jhaveri Ankita Agarwal Sheetal Chaudhary , your contributions are highly appreciated:)) #OpenBlindfolds #Letsbringdiversity Winpe

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This powerful Health Tech World article by my colleague Gil Bashe highlights the current and potential value of health innovation to the troubled UK economy. Innovation is, though, at risk because the National Health Service is prioritising the maintenance of outdated models of care delivery over the adoption of innovation. (That is true in the English NHS, by far the largest service, and it's even worse in Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland is a more mixed picture). If the home nation of a discovery spurns it, how can we expect others to support it? The next few years will be crucial: if vested professional interests can be tamed and sclerotic bureaucracies can be prodded, the UK nations could have the biggest unified patient database in Europe. It could open all sorts of models of shared risk and rigorous tracking of impact. But data integration has been tried and sabotaged before, and it's not clear that even the dynamic Westminster secretary of state can clear the hurdles. The government is moving in the wrong direction on global health. The UK used to lead Europe in meeting the UN target of spending 0.7% of GDP on development assistance. Too much of it went to friendly regimes on fuzzy governance or budget support spending, but a decent chunk went to transformative health spending - think UK support for health system strengthening, Gavi and the Global Fund or Amplify Change (with which I'm involved). Today, the UK is hurtling away from that goal with a further effective cuts announced this week. Ireland and Italy, for example, are going in the right direction. The British abdication of responsibility undermines UK innovation focussed on global health - the article talks about malaria, but there are lots of projects Health innovation will only thrive in a national ecosystem that's designed to nurture it #medtech #healthinnovation #biopharma Julie Adrian Julian Tyndale-Biscoe The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Grethe Petersen The Galien Foundation FINN Partners UK Health

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Part 2 (5th June) Steve Baum starts to realise what he's really up against... After the IASB's April 25th decision, Rethinking Capital was invited by two of the firms (to be clear, we did not initiate this) to engage with the Global Public Policy Committee. The GPPC is chaired by the six CEO's of the global audit firms. The GPPC 'advances the public interest and enhances confidence in the multi-disciplinary accounting profession by constructively engaging in public policy issues of a global scope'—or so it says https://lnkd.in/ecwREd2d An informed source called it 'where the audit firms are allowed to come together to discuss macrotrends in accounting.’ And so on 5th June, we wrote to the GPPC, specifically addressed to its six CEO's. As I read out the first third of a page at the Lord Mayor's colloquy in Mansion House last Thursday, it seems fair to make page 1 of the letter more widely available. It was addressed to the six global CEO's of the audit firms and sent to GPPC chair Trent Gazzaway and PwC's Gilly Lord for their attention. At that time the six CEOs were Patrick Kramer Joseph Ucuzoglu Carmine Di Sibio Peter Bodin Bill Thomas and Bob Moritz. Carmine has since been replaced by Janet Truncale and Bob Moritz by Mohamed Kande. Of course, the attention statement is this—“the purpose of financial statements today is not to represent the commercial reality, nor to be materially accurate—but to be comparable at the lowest common denominator and for tax". And the consequences and effects of that including upside down incentives. I'm told that Steven Pinker would call this the overt expression of mutual knowledge—like when the little boy says what everyone else knows but dare not say—that the Emporer has no clothes. This was not done to provoke, but to make it clear that informed decisions on allocating capital to meeting net zero commitments cannot be made using financial statements not designed for this purpose—but designed to reduce tax. We then offered a series of references on normative accounting and on Rethinking Capital. Optimistic, as I always annoyingly am, that at some point people will do the right thing. That took us to 13th June—when the GPPC replied and what (rather than who) the climate movement is really up against became very clear. But also why it can be very optimistic that the way ahead is also clear—including what's needed to give the audit firms no choice or reason not to engage. Part 3 to follow. Simon Mundy Denise Lugo Simon Clark Silvia Pavoni Vincent Huck Philippa Nuttall Matthias Plötz Rebecca Kershaw Tessa F. Tessa Vincent Gillian Marcelle, PhD Clara Miller

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The Jades (aka myself and Jade Chaudey) are back for another brand voice and marketing workshop at Dream Impact / ESG Innovation Lab on 27 June! Following our last sold-out workshop in April, our upcoming workshop will be a transformative experience for businesses ready to make a real impact. Despite the buzz, sustainability and ESG initiatives are often misunderstood or labelled "greenwashing". We’re here to help you take charge of your own brand narrative and equip you with the tools to communicate your mission with authenticity, trust and effectiveness. In a world where communication shapes the future, our workshop offers a fresh perspective on brand voice development and marketing strategies to help impactful businesses build bridges of trust and make genuine connections. Here's what we aim for you through the workshop: 🧠 Develop an authentic brand voice that truly engages with people 🎯 Define clear, “always-on” marketing strategies that align with your brand 🤓 Leave with a concrete framework to revolutionize your brand communication 👇Ready to elevate your brand and marketing game? Reserve your spot at the table where changemakers gather.

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Being on the front line telling stories of sustainable innovation is exciting but it’s such a new concept for so many firms and mistakes are made. Take innovation in the carbon markets for example. Due to the action of a few, sellers are under intense scrutiny, whilst well meaning companies have been caught out. Understanding the reputational opportunities and also the risks is critical in planning an effective PR strategy. Last week, my Wilful Co-Founder Narda Shirley was on a fascinating panel to discuss just that - how do you prepare, respond and recover when things go wrong. #PR #CrisisCommunications #Carbon

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How important are menstrual products? How important we improve care globally? How important is it we improve care in this country to keep girls in school and women in work? VERY! Def with a listen.

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Thrilled to have been on the Mission Driven Podcast with Richard Brubaker recently. The video was just released. In our discussion, we spoke about the trends that are creating opportunities for social entrepreneurs but also challenges that mission-driven founders often find themselves grappling with and which hold back our movement. In particular, the challenges around finding the investment required to grow, of articulating a big vision for social impact while simultaneously outlining practical steps to make progress, and of building an early community around your idea. I'm putting the link in the first comment below, check it out! #socialenterprise #socentau #startups #impinv #impactinvestment

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Happy to have been able to take a deep dive into the #EBU’s thoughtful, and comprehensive 'Trusted Journalism in the Age of Generative AI' (https://shorturl.at/VI0qu.) Congrats to Alexandra Borchardt, Felix M. Simon, Olle Zachrison, Kati Bremme, and Justyna Kurczabinska. Quite the achievement. My thoughts: ✴ The speed/seriousness with which news media has engaged with gen AI is impressive. Not sure how many other sectors can show this depth and breadth of engagement. ✳ The gen AI innovations in the report plot amazingly neatly into the classic models of how technologies are adopted (these, and their implications, are summarised in the diagram below). ✴ Bulk of PSM gen AI projects in the report are ‘Incremental innovations’ - they integrate AI into existing products and processes to enhance and/or increase efficiency. ✳ PSMs with deeper tech, data and innovation competencies are already in the ‘Architectural’ stage - creating products that are fundamentally different to what has gone before. ✴ But the boundaries between these categories are not rigid.  Some innovations straddle stages. ✳ I'm happy to see this progression. Organisations must move through these stages, building knowledge and acquiring domain expertise. Think child development – you can’t run before you can walk. . (PS. Also happy to see my interview with Alexandra Borchardt from January this year for this report (p. 35) has, amazingly, stood the test of time!) #generativeAI #digitalmedia #publicservicemedia

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🧠We’re all stressed or anxious at times. Going to the gym might help short-term, but what about long-term - when the anxious feeling keep on coming back? Book a therapy session? Feels like an overkill, so maybe not. So, what can you do? ☺️ I’d personally recommend checking out Hateem K. and Uoma Mind. Their app is designed to help manage stress and anxiety through narrative therapy – a really effective approach. Sign up for early-acess on the beta version of their mobile app from the link below. Trust me, it’s worth 2 minutes of you time. ☺️ Also, check out their website for more info: uoma.ai

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Women's access to financial products that *they* want is central to some work that we have been doing over the last two years. One step in this direction was to continually reach out to and engage with the network of people and organisations who're curious about and/or working in this space because we didn't want to reinvent the wheel as well as help others avoid that too. So (in addition to a whole host of things), we started a newsletter series and continue to publish one every 3-4 months or so. Trisha Ghoshal drives this in her usual gentle giant ways. Today, this newsletter reaches more than 800 people. It is opened by 2 in 5 people against the industry standard of 2 in 10. While the current gender gap in the access to and adoption of financial services is massive, I am stoked knowing that folks out there are thinking about women's financial inclusion. If you are building women centric financial products or want to partner in this pursuit, let's chat.

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Social value: A revival in philanthropy? 🤔 Great speaking on a panel at the Footprint+ conference to discuss & debate how we can better connect developers with VISABLE social impact! A few key themes that came from the convo: 📈How do we actually measure social value? The ‘E’ in ESG has a more defined measurement but what about the ‘S’? If we can’t fully measure it, we can’t track it. Thoughts? 🎯 How do we better facilitate direct tie ups between developers and local charities? (Southwark charities is a stellar example of this) 💡How do we look at social impact and business performance as not mutually exclusive? We’re seeing more and more signs that a business that stands for something and gives back can actually enhance its bottom line. Thanks to my fellow panelist’s for a great session! Chris Bowie-Hill @Chris Wilson of Southwark Charities and @Juraj Marko of JTRE #proptech #ESG #impact #hospitality #realestate #footprint

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As a proud Clusity 🌱 the #womenintech community Ambassador, I spoke to co-founders elke 🌱 kraemer (she / her) and Rein Meirte (She/Her) to learn more about how they've created such an empowering and inclusive community, and how they're changing the tech industry in Belgium. 👉🏽 Read my article https://lnkd.in/e5gMZM5m and some of their insights here: 🌱 Showcase role models for women in tech. 🌱 If there are more women in the networks of tech companies, women will feel more comfortable applying to work there. 🌱 Challenge the similarity and confirmation biases that networks are usually based on. This is to avoid replicating structures and creating networks based only on people with whom we identify with and who share our culture and opinions. 🌱 Actively seek out diverse people to invite onstage at events. The representation on stage will come to reflect that in the audience. 🌱 Aim for a 30% representation, that's the threshold to start breaking down stereotypes. That's why Clusity's goal is to have 47.000 more women in tech in Belgium by 2030! Share and follow Clusity for more updates! #techcommunity #techstartup #Inclusion #diversity #leadership

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As the political discourse and pushback against DEI continues, so does the work within organisations to ensure businesses are diverse, equitable and inclusive. DEI work is still being done, just quieter... Argues the Financial Times in the US. Whatever the political leaning of the leaders within the business, many recognise the need to stay competitive and be an employer of choice. And this means continuing efforts to attract and keep the best talent by being as diverse and inclusive as possible. Is this the same for us in the UK? As Suella and Kemi continue to push their 'anti-woke' agenda, are UK based businesses still investing in DEI work? From my personal experience I would say yes, in general. I think. But I am very aware that may be just within my area and theme of work. And for all the progressive companies embracing true flexible working, there are some forcing employees back to the office. And for all the companies that kept their promises of 2020, there are some that haven't gone beyond the black square. What do you think? Are UK companies still investing in DEI, despite the anti-woke political discourse? Or have you seen a notable squeezing of budgets and downsizing of DEI teams and resources? #DEI #Inclusion #Diversity #Leadership https://lnkd.in/eFGmDjTG

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Indy Johar’s Banister Fletcher lecture for The London Society and RIBA on Wednesday was a powerful warning about the realities of #climate breakdown (the word change failing to capture the severity of the risk). Loss of capital markets, social collapse, swathes of the world uninhabitable, seemingly the stuff of dystopian fiction yet supported with more than enough facts to be convincingly real. His accompanying proposition on the need to tear up the rule book on everything from our relationship with #nature to the utilisation of #property was, by contrast, inspiring and infused with optimism. Especially pertinent for those in the business of communication were Johar’s observations about reductive conversations as barriers to collective climate action. Discourse increasingly reduces complex subjects into a single, narrow propositions. As communicators this is usually the aim – brief, simple, impactful messaging (the elevator pitch, the brand proposition, the three-word slogan). But, as Johar observed, people can handle more complexity than they are credited for, and the challenges we face are indeed complex. He spoke too of the power of conviviality, and the contribution that conversations based on care and love can make to encouraging change. There’s plenty here for the #communications industry to reflect on. And while tearing up our rule book might seem drastic, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a critical re-read.

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