This year, Stella celebrated its 10th anniversary. To date, our organization has achieved many significant accomplishments, such as helping women founders launch 162 businesses, scale 223 companies, and raise more than $143M in startup funding, with $73M being activated in 2022 alone! Also at the forefront of our efforts is the Women's Venture Summit, which reached its 9th anniversary in September, attracting more than 225 attendees, as well as fantastic speakers and community partners.
We started Stella with the dream of increasing the number of women investors and female founders' overall access to capital At that time, we were barely at double digits of angel investors who were women, AND only about 12% of founders who received angel funding were women. Today, the numbers are improving because of a village of investors and advocates like you. About 22% of angel investors are women, and about 25% of founders receiving capital are women. In the VC world, 2% of venture dollars go to women, and less than 1% of those dollars go to women of color. We still have a long way to go, but together, we are the change
We’re creating a world where our daughters will be treated; equally, bias will be neutralized, and more women will be funded.
Thank you for joining us on this journey. Cheers to 10 years and a lifetime commitment to helping women "get to even." Let's continue to reach for the stars together
Stella’s Mission is to equip diverse female founders to launch, grow, and sustain their businesses while cultivating a thriving network of equality-driven women investors.
Founded in 2012, Stella connects women founders and investors to the right resources–at the right time–in their journeys. From ideation to funding to exit, women founders and investors look to Stella for its powerful constellation of support comprising an inclusive community, courses, access to capital events, advisory services, and funding opportunities.
To Get To Even: Equal representation of female founders and funders across the venture table.
162 BUSINESSES LAUNCHED
2
223 COMPANIES SCALED
6 RESIDENCIES COMPLETED
$73M ACTIVATED BY STELLA FOUNDERS
2022 LABS COHORTS COMPLETED
Let's connect the stars, together.
More than 6,000 women have become part of our inclusive online community which beliefs in equality for female founders. Our digital tech-enabled community is free of charge. It provides access to pre-recorded video courses, one-on-one advisory sessions, group sessions, mentorship matching, and features on Stella’s media. Venture Capitalist in Residence & Entrepreneur in Residence programs brings more profound opportunities to our community.
500+ MEMBERS
Scan to join our community
50+ EDUCATION MODULES
75+ WORKSHEETS
100+ HOURS OF VIDEO
2256 COURSE COMPLETIONS
COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHICS
51% HAVE CHILDREN
13% LGBTQ+
14.6% LATINX
10% DISABLED
49% RAISED CAPITAL
61% REMOTELY OPERATED
Stella's founders are highly educated; over 90% hold a higher education or professional degree. Members cite that their number one need is access to capital and financial support.
Stella serves communities worldwide, with a special interest in underserved communities It meets women in their own "backyards" via virtual and inperson programming.
Our Stella members have various entities but traditionally come to us with support for their LLC, transition to C-Corp, or existing C-Corp.
As Stella supports founders at all stages, the companies in the Stella ecosystem are traditionally starting (no employees) or are in the scaling and funding stages (1-5 employees).
Community is one of our core pillars at Stella, and we experienced massive growth in 2022. We welcomed new members from around the world and in many career fields, helping us to diversify our community, perspectives, and offerings.
And more to come!
The launch of Stella's Online Platform is the best way to reach female founders globally This platform houses our education and curriculum, as well as our member discounts, resources, and downloadable materials.
Female founders have heavy demands on their time and schedules and often lack the bandwidth or resources to attend inperson training. Most entrepreneurial programs are primarily held in large cities, leaving out small towns or remote areas.
Our program allows female founders to access education, curriculum, and masterclasses anywhere - in the comfort of their homes, at any time of the day
75+ DOWNLOADS 45+ LEADING SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS
Residence Programs include both Entrepreneur in Residence and Venture Capitalists in Residence These programs offer Residents the opportunity to learn more about the work of Stella, the entrepreneurial and VC ecosystems that we work within, and to gain more visibility within our network.
Our goal is to work with residents for one year and support them in their startup careers after the program. We aim to ensure the success of more startups and educate emerging fund managers to change the venture capital landscape.
3 ENTREPRENUERS IN RESIDENCE
100+ HOURS COMPLETED
3 VCS IN RESIDENCE
Stella Labs is a program that digs in deep It is a 13-week intensive course that takes founders from the ideation stage to pitch-ready -- and beyond! (something like this...we need to define it right away.)
All Stella Community members are encouraged to apply to our intensive and specialized cohort-based learning communities, like Stella Labs, to tap into our network of professionals, serial entrepreneurs, and investors with deep functional expertise across industries.
As part of Stella Labs, members attend weekly group meetings. Advisory hours are included for all participants, too. Courses include intensive modules, pitch modules, and expert modules, culminating in a live pitch competition known as Demo Day
Stella Labs weaves techniques to address and mitigate bias in business management and fundraising throughout all programming and events and prioritizes a shared commitment to gender equity among program partners.
15
WEEKS
2 COHORTS
20 MODULES
90 21 FOUNDERS
MENTORS
100K
GRANTS RECIEVED
3 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED
1M VENTURE FUNDING
Yolanda was named the 2022 Oculus Launch Pad winner as well as
Anna successfully raised her $1M Seed round of capital shortly after her completion of Stella Labs Fall Cohort
Lindsay utilized her updated pitch to win $100K+ in pitch competition winnings after her time with Stella Labs
The Stella Community is an educational platform designed to empower women. To ensure that our members have access to the resources they need to build successful businesses, we are committed to providing a network of mentors with a wealth of knowledge in their respective fields When you become a member of the Stella Community, you will have access to mentorship opportunities through our online community groups, one-on-one coaching, and webinars. We also offer workshops and networking events where you can meet other like-minded female founders.
RaviKanniganti Target IraGreen FreeBrands SilviaMah StellaFounder
KurlingRobinson Fokcus
EmilyJosenhans DomaineSante
SamMazeo Better
MariaStout KnobbeMartins
April Enriquez Wordpop PR
MarisaCali LiveonSocial
Alex Waters Jacobs Center
Andrew Andrews Vargas Andrews
TriptiThakur FogVentures
PaulShrater Minimus
AnaMikhalochkina LeanOrb
"Stella Labs has been a tremendous help in giving me the tools and connections I need to take my company from ideation to launch! I feel incredibly proud to be a part of such an amazing support group of female founders, mentors, and networking opportunities on my journey to build my business."
"Attending Stella Labs has been nothing short of amazing. Coming from a couple of other Cohorts I can say Stella is the best. I've learned more in the last 15 weeks than I could have even thought. The mentorship Stella provides and the accountability were my two favorite aspects of it."
"Stella Lab is the She entrepreneur's dream accelerator! The courses are packed with info, the mentor connections were next level, and working with the other power-house founders in real time on our business needs, or just simple moral support was so inspiring."
Stella Angels are our exclusive, vibrant network of active accredited investors who review deals together, conduct due diligence, and invest in female founders sourced through our network.
In 2021, Stella Angels invested in 14 female-led startups, syndicating over $1.3M via direct investments and indirectly via syndications & crowdfunding Overall, $50M in capital was raised for women-led businesses.
Our minimum check size is $5K for SPVs (Special Purpose Vehicles) and increases depending on investor interest. Since we are not a fund, all our angels choose to participate on a deal-by-deal basis.
50+ ANGEL INVESTORS
$1.3M SYNDICATED
22 STARTUPS PRESENTED
5 SHOWCASES
4 SPV'S
5K
MINIMUM CHECK SIZE
The main goals of Stella conferences are to boost female founders' access to capital and to grow the number of female investors who invest in female-led startups. Each summer, Women's Fast Pitch selects 25 underrepresented founders for a chance to win a $10k investment. Stella's signature annual event, Women's Venture Summit, has been attended by 2,000+ attendees over nine years With your support, WVS 2023 will be the best yet!
In 2022, Stella introduced its five-city Oxytocin Tour. Aptly named after a hormone that triggers feelings of love, protection, empathy, and trust, the Oxytocin Tour allowed us to meet and serve new women across the U.S. -- and invite them into our network.
Oxytocin Tour is Stella’s road trip across America! As a national organization, we make a goal to visit cities that represent clusters within the conSTELLAtion. Founders and investors alike are invited to contribute to these one-day events filled with thought leadership from our community partners, Stella programming, and community-building to support local engagement in Women’s Fast Pitch and Women’s Venture Summit. The 2022 tour included Austin, Texas; Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Atlantic City, New Jersey; San Francisco, California and Seattle, Washington.
Women’s Fast Pitch is a series of five regional access-tocapital events taking place across America. Finalists advance to compete at the Women’s Venture Summit for a $10K investment. Women’s Fast Pitch receives over 150 applicants to fill 25 spots (five pitching founders in each of the five regions) Twenty investor judges ask questions and provide commentary during the live-streamed Women’s Fast Pitch virtual series each summer.
350+ ATTENDEES
90+ APPLICATIONS
Now in its 10th year, the Women's Venture Summit takes place each September. The conference's goals are to boost female founders' access to capital and to grow the number of female investors who invest in female-led startups. Founders and funders from across the globe meet in a vibrant and intimate virtual setting to learn about and explore opportunities for increased funding and collaboration.
$25K+ IN-KIND DONATIONS
200+ ATTENDEES
$7K+ TICKET SCHOLARSHIPS
85% ENTREPRENUERS
20 EXHIBITORS
4.2M
DIGITAL PR VIEWS
45K PODCAST LISTENERS
23% INVESTORS
90+ APPLICATIONS
200+ INVESTORS 16 SEMI-FINALISTS 5 FINALISTS
Did you know that less than 5% of venture capital in the United States goes to companies with female, Black, and Latino CEOs? Founder's of Color Showcase aims to change this!
FOC Showcase works with like-minded investors, angel groups and funds to mobilize capital for underrepresented entrepreneurs. FOC showcase seeks to expand networks and help build a community of aligned investors that can share investment opportunities, participate in joint due diligence, and co-invest together Stella is a proud co-host & in-person event lead for 2022
The growing support of our sponsors allows us to bring more education and community-building opportunities to women founders.
Stella has collaborated with more than 40 funds, 16 community partners and nonprofits, and 12 corporate sponsors who share the organization's mission of helping more women launch, scale, and grow their businesses.
Stella counts on its partners to amplify its message and fiscally support its mission of creating equal opportunities for women in business.
Do
Board Director
Chief Innovation Officer, City of San Diego
Board Director
Executive VP Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Vessel Health
Board Director Founder & CEO, Hydrostasis
Board
The Stella Team spent a beautiful morning participating in a SoulCycle class. The class was a fun way to start the day and a great way to build camaraderie, promote healthy life habits, and inspire our staff to adopt a healthy work-life balance.
ella team spent time poolside at the a La Jolla Hotel and Spa. This d a relaxing environment for the Stella team to get to know each other and highlight wins within the organization and in the team's personal lives.
SAGANA
Sagana provides training and support to help values-based companies like Stella identify and address unconscious bias, develop sustainable compensation practices, and empower their teams to deliver their best work.
Trust
Belonging Equality
Entrepreneurial Mindset
Grit
Courage
Stella was one among one of the U.S.-based businesses and organizations selected to participate in the YLAI Fellowship.
The YLAI Fellowship is the U.S Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) flagship program for entrepreneurs and business leaders from the Americas. The program brings together 280 mid-career entrepreneurs and empowers them to advance their entrepreneurial initiatives and effectively contribute to social and economic development in their communities and countries.
This program has changed my life from the beginning to date. I had the opportunity to grow personally, as a business owner of my beauty brand, Glowee, and as a leader of my community in my country El Salvador.
Stella helped me learn about financing for companies scaling social projects. I was also able to connect with local artisans to learn how to scale my company, Yaraquenas.
Kimberly Dos
Crucez Guerrero
El Salvador
Stefany Mendoza Venezuela
Shannon Ferguson, CEO and Founder of FanSaves, from Canada, was selected as a YLAI fellow in 2020 but the pandemic ended up pushing back the Exchange Program (meant to bring fellows to the US to experience the country in-person) to 2021, where it ultimately took place virtually.
Fortunately, Shannon was one of 18 alumni from 2021 given a Collaboration Grant to participate in YLAI 2022 and live in the US, learn from her host placement (Stella) in San Diego and ultimately attend the 2022 Closing Forum in Washington, DC
"Stella was just what WISHLY needed at the right time! Building a network of other female founders and gaining access to all kinds of mentors (especially VCs) has been incredibly valuable. The team at Stella has given us the tools we need to fundraise and build the next unicorn -- knowledge, confidence, and a community of support!"
"Being a part of Stella helped has helped me refine my storytelling and public speaking skills, which I am utilizing during pitch competitions to earn funding. Stella has also introduced me to a variety of industry professionals who have been amazing mentors and have helped me make critical business decisions."
"Stella has opened so many doors for me. The network connections alone have moved mountains for my business; from mentors to meetings with those in the same industry who have come before me, Stella has provided me with a means to learn from others' experiences and expertise."
Expand our educational offerings by hosting monthly virtual co-working spaces as well as virtual masterclasses.
Expand our educational library to include "deeper dive" curriculum for founders, as well as education for investors.
Continue collaborating with global partners to maintain and expand a cohesive support ecosystem for female founders.
Continue to obtain mass media exposure for our members to elevate their businesses, products, and services.
Continue to blaze trails, create pathways, and increase opportunities for funding for female founders.
Continue our Advocacy work toward Legislative Change.
Continue to add discounted resources and perks to support our founders in business.
Host our annual Women's Fast Pitch & host the 10th anniversary of our annual Women's Venture Summit.
Host in-person events to create access and nurture opportunities for both founders and investors
Graduate our first cohorts of our EIR and VCIR programs, and usher in our second cohort.
Host two additional Stella Labs cohorts with completion at Demo Day. Host additional Stella Angel events.
We are proud of the work we have done over the last decade and are grateful to those who support the fight for equality for women across the venture table
As we continue to expand our offerings globally, we will continue to lean on our incredible ecosystem of participants, team members, and partners to make it all happen.
Our tenth year is shaping up to be our best yet, and we cannot wait to show you what's in store for 2023.
As women, we are truly stronger together, shoulder to shoulder.
Stella is a true conSTELLAtion. We could not do the work that we do without the support of our corporate and community partners, our fearless team, our board of advisors, and our founders. We want to give a special thank you to the following:
Our Stella Team, who put in the work, day in and day out, supporting founders and funders side by side. Our team is the lifeblood of the work Stella does For women, by women.
Our Community Partners, who support Stella in all that we do, and together, we work to bridge the gaps needed for female founders globally.
Our Donors & Sponsors, without whom none of our work here at Stella would be possible. As a 501(c)3, we lean on incredible donations to support the work, provide the services and keep us running. We thank YOU truly.
Our conSTELLAtion of members, founders, and investors. Thank you for trusting Stella as your guidepost. We promise to continue to serve you with educational content, programs, events, services, and a team dedicated to your success. We will not let you down. We will continue to fight for you, with and alongside you, shoulder to shoulder. Stella
for your continued support in our programs
