top of page

Unlocking Capital for Women: What We Learned and What Comes Next

Writer: Foundation House
Foundation House
4 days ago
4 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Greenwich, CT - September 10, 2026


Four women seated in front of an ornate carved wood fireplace during a panel discussion at Women in Impact II: Society. One panelist in a red suit holds a microphone while speaking to an audience visible in the foreground.

This blog post reflects discussions held under the Chatham House Rule. While the ideas and information shared are presented here, the identities and affiliations of contributors have been kept confidential to encourage open dialogue.



INTRODUCTION

On September 10, Foundation House convened nearly 80 women investors, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and practitioners for Women in Impact II: Society. The morning moved quickly from inspiration to action, examining what it takes to unlock capital for women and girls, close gaps in health and wealth, and build financial tools that meet women where they are.

IMPACT: Key Takeaways

Across the main sessions, a few themes stood out.


Community and collaboration are force multipliers.

A global network of donors has already mobilized more than a billion dollars for women and girls by sharing diligence, co-funding, and backing catalytic leaders at critical moments. Similar models in impact investing are helping practitioners learn faster, pool risk, and move from isolated grants to aligned portfolios. And beyond capital, the culture and community-rooted work of connecting people across sectors, bridging lived experience with resources and relationships, is what makes those models possible in the first place. The through line: relationships built over time, not transactions, are what make capital move.


Better data changes outcomes.

Ground-level information about flooding and extreme weather is unlocking infrastructure investments that would not otherwise reach vulnerable communities. When local experience is translated into credible evidence, public and private capital can be directed toward resilience rather than recovery alone.


Women's health and economic power remain deeply underfunded and full of opportunity.

Only 6% of private healthcare funding globally goes to women's health1, and the gap shows. Conversations ranged from conditions like PCOS that lack targeted therapies, to gaps in adolescent and maternal mental health, to the scarcity of companies explicitly focused on women's health despite clear market demand. At the same time, a growing pipeline of women-led ventures, new tools for financial inclusion, and a maturing ecosystem of women with the education, experience, and capital to shape markets signals real momentum.


Philanthropy and investment are converging.

Participants surfaced models that begin with grant funding to prove a concept, then bring in investment capital to scale. Examples included AI-supported diagnostics and point-of-care innovations that both improve health access and create income opportunities, particularly for women. The question is no longer whether these tools can be combined, but how to make that journey smoother for the companies building them.


The current environment demands both urgency and resilience.

Defunding of social and gender equality work, domestically and internationally, is creating real pressure across the sector. Yet the women in the room largely stayed committed to the issues they care about most. The consensus: relationships and community-rooted giving are more durable than transactional funding, and that durability matters more right now than ever.

INITIATIVES: Opportunities for Unlocking Capital for Women

The breakout sessions pushed these themes into concrete territory.


On the investing side, participants committed to more disciplined diversification and capital stacking in early-stage deals, aligning angel checks, donor-advised funds, and institutional capital across the life of a company rather than treating them as separate worlds. There was strong interest in getting more women into AI investment deals, where women remain underrepresented despite the scale of opportunity.


On the philanthropic side, appetite emerged for collaborative giving vehicles that can absorb larger checks while remaining rooted in community needs, including pooled funds, fiscal sponsorship models, and shared due diligence to reduce the burden on under-resourced organizations.


Across both tracks, one request came through clearly: more working sessions, more time to go deep, and structured ways to share asks and offers beyond the event itself.


Three Women Building What the World Needs

One of the most generative moments of the day was the Founder & Entrepreneur Spotlight, where three women building solutions to some of society's most pressing challenges shared their work in seven-minute presentations. Their work deserves continued attention and support.


ISeeChange is empowering cities, utilities, and insurers with AI-driven flood and resilience data, creating measurable, verified adaptation and risk mitigation impacts. Julia is actively seeking partners. Reach her at julia@iseechange.com or visit partners.iseechange.com.


Hook and Fasten is an impact agency working at the intersection of community, culture, and capital. Deesha is looking to partner with brands, high-net-worth individuals, entertainers, and athletes on impact initiatives addressing food security, hunger, healthcare, and education. Reach her at deeshadyer.com or hookandfasten.com, and connect with her on LinkedIn.


Sena Therapeutics is developing targeted therapies for women's health conditions that have long been overlooked and underfinanced. If you want to learn more or know someone who should be in conversation with her, now is the time to make that connection: elizabeth@senatherapeutics.com

Participating speakers included:


Stay in the loop on future events like this.




1 World Economic Forum, "Women's Health Investment Outlook 2026," January 20, 2026, in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group.


 
 
bottom of page