The National Women’s Business Council released research in the summer of 2014 that identified major barriers to capital for high-growth women-owned businesses. The study titled, “Access to Capital by High-Growth Women-Owned Businesses,” sought to explore differences between men and women business owners regarding firm growth, amount and sources of financial capital, and the relationship between the two.

“We were surprised to find that on average, men start their businesses with nearly twice as much capital as women,” said NWBC Chair Carla Harris, “and this trend is even larger in the Top 25 firms.”
This research informs many of the NWBC’s recommendations to the White House, Congress and the SBA in their annual report, coming in December 2014. In the meantime, the Council seeks to engage women who might be looking for new types of capital to grow their ventures with this new infographic toolkit.
“While the original research is essential to inform key policy decisions, it may not be directly useful to women business owners themselves – finding additional investment can still be tricky,” said Amanda Brown, Executive Director of the NWBC, “That’s why we wanted to make a creative and accessible way to identify new opportunities for capital.”
The infographic is a guide to help business owners navigate various paths to capital. It includes essential tips from the three successful women business owners interviewed for the project, as well as examples of different financing situations that business owners might face, and explanations of different types of capital—such as crowdfunding, angel investing, and purchase order financing.