Rebecca Taylor

Women Entrepreneurs: Innovative Approaches to Financing New Businesses

Samantha Ettus, Lisa Hall, Karen Mills, Peggy Wallace, Melinda Wittstock, Brad Belt, Ken Hochbetter, Rebecca Taylor, Jan Chafer, Charlotte Rinder-Knecht, Rochelle Vias, Diane Tom, Philip Gardner

The Milken Institute and George Washington University convened a panel of SBA officials, bank leaders, and angel investors to address the severe capital gap facing the 8 million women-run businesses in the United States, where female founders receive only 13.5% of venture funding. Panelists detailed structural barriers including the "valley of debt" and male-dominated networks, while highlighting specific solutions such as SBA loan guarantees, the "Women Investing in Women" initiative, and regulatory changes under the JOBS Act. The discussion concluded with strategic recommendations to bridge skill gaps through early financial literacy education and to leverage intergenerational wealth transfer to support gender-diverse, high-growth startups.