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Women's VC Fund II
Edith Dorsen co-founded the Women's Venture Capital Fund in 2013, launching Fund II in 2017 to back Series A and B companies with gender-diverse...
Women's VC Fund II
The Women's Venture Capital Fund was founded in 2013 by Harvard Business School classmates Edith Dorsen and Monica Dodi, who were galvanized by data showing that less than 5% of venture capital went to leadership teams including women. They organized a roundtable at their HBS reunion, which drew double the expected attendance, and raised the inaugural fund from HBS alumni and two institutional investors. Fund I closed in late 2013 with a mandate to back women entrepreneurs at Series A and B who were already generating revenue. The firm writes early-stage checks into capital-efficient, high-growth businesses where gender-diverse leadership is present. The portfolio spans enterprise SaaS, consumer internet, and education technology. Named portfolio companies include Slumberkins, Aclima, Newsela, HopSkipDrive, Work Truck Solutions, and Nvoicepay — each led by a female CEO or co-CEO at the time of investment. The strategy relies on board engagement and deep operational support, with Managing Director Edith Dorsen often providing mentorship and governance guidance. The fund pursues control-oriented minority positions and does not operate as a party round participant; its website notes WomensVCFund II is not currently adding new portfolio companies. The firm operates from Portland, Oregon, with a lean team anchored by Dorsen as Managing Director and Susan Namkung as Director. No separate philanthropic foundation or adjacent club vehicle has been disclosed. The fund remains tightly held among its original HBS network and institutional backers. Its current deployment status is not publicly reported. Unlike diversity-tagged funds that layer gender screens onto a generalist portfolio, Women's VC Fund II is structurally singular: it requires every portfolio company to include both women and men on the management team, treating diversity as a risk-intelligence filter rather than a concessionary program. The fund's own capital is sourced from a mixed-gender HBS alumni base, embedding the thesis into its LP composition. This architecture makes the fund less a diversity allocation and more a bet that mixed-gender leadership outperforms.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2017
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Portland
Corporate office
Portland, Oregon, United States
Principals
Edith Dorsen
Managing Director
Susan Namkung
Director
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How does Women's VC Fund II source deal flow differently from generalist VCs?
The firm draws heavily on the Harvard Business School network that birthed it, alongside referrals from its portfolio of female-led companies. Its explicit gender-diversity mandate attracts founders actively seeking investors who won't treat female leadership as a risk factor. The fund's small Portland-based team makes relationship density — repeated board interactions and direct mentorship from Edith Dorsen — the primary sourcing moat.
Does the fund invest only in companies with all-female founding teams?
No. The fund requires that management teams include both women and men; it views mixed-gender leadership as a performance edge, not a concession. This distinguishes it from funds that exclusively target women-only founding teams and reflects its thesis that gender diversity across the leadership group improves outcomes.
What stage and check size does Women's VC Fund II target?
The fund targets Series A and B rounds in revenue-generating companies with capital-efficient models. Specific check sizes have not been publicly disclosed, but the firm positions itself as a lead or co-lead investor with board-level engagement, not a passive seed participant.
Is the firm's investor base restricted to female LPs?
No. The original fund was backed by Harvard Business School classmates — both men and women — and two institutional investors. The firm explicitly notes that its capital base is mixed-gender, mirroring the thesis it applies to portfolio companies.
Does Women's VC Fund II participate in follow-on rounds?
The firm has not publicly detailed its follow-on policy. Given its concentrated portfolio and board-heavy engagement model, it is structurally positioned to support pro-rata follow-ons, but no specific reserve strategy has been disclosed.
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