How One Former Google Exec Is Driving More Funding to Female Entrepreneurs Karen Cahn is on a mission to close the funding gap for women-led startups and small businesses. She sat down with Jessica Abo to talk about her crowdfunding platform, iFundWomen.

By Jessica Abo • May 12, 2017

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Fed up with the systemic biases that women face when trying to get funding for their businesses, Karen Cahn launched a crowdfunding platform called iFundWomen to drive much-needed capital to women-led startups and small businesses. Since November 2016, funders have backed nearly 100 startups and helped raise close to $600,000. Cahn sat down with Jessica Abo at the Caravan Stylist Studio in New York City to talk about crowdfunding and shared her advice on how to launch a successful campaign.

How is iFundWomen helping close the funding gap for female entrepreneurs?

Our platform helps women raise the money they need to start and grow their businesses, and our coaching staff provides strategy, video production, mentorship and a community for female entrepreneurs to thrive. In addition, we have an Accelerator Pool that benefits entrepreneurs with lower-income personal networks and we also provide expert crowdfunding coaching and video production services at a fraction of the cost as you would get anywhere else. Why? Because we can, and we want women to win. Period.

What kind of support does your platform provide?

Well first, iFundWomen is the only crowdfunding platform built exclusively by women for women, and we have a pay-it-forward model where we reinvest 20 percent of our profits from standard fees into live campaigns on the site. Second, with our local strategy, we are a one-stop shop for people who wish to support female-led startups and small businesses in their local community, like Nashville and now Raleigh, North Carolina! In fact, we are now taking applications for iFundWomen Raleigh, launching in June, so women reading this in the Triangle and Triad region, please apply!

Who can apply?

Any woman-led startup or small business can apply for free. They literally have nothing to lose and everything to gain. For more information, people can visit www.iFundwomen.com.

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Jessica Abo

Entrepreneur Leadership Network® Contributor

Media Trainer, Keynote Speaker, and Author

Jessica Abo is a sought-after media trainer, award-winning journalist and best-selling author. Her client roster includes medical and legal experts, entrepreneurs, small business owners, startup founders, C-Suite executives, coaches, celebrities and philanthropists. Visit www.jessicaabo.com.