Today we celebrate 13 women who faced bias head-on. Investors labeled them risky or just support. They ignored that and built amazing success
From being mistaken as the support act to fielding endless questions about risk instead of growth, women founders often face subtle (and not-so-subtle) investor bias. Whether it’s navigating assumptions about technical skills, downplaying ambition to avoid the “agitator” label, or overcoming harmful stereotypes, these leaders have found ways to shift the narrative—and the outcome.
In honour of Women’s Day, 13 founders share the bias they’ve encountered and the bold moves that helped them break through.
Dr Liz Dallimore, CEO and Managing Director of Argenica Therapeutics
“I haven’t experienced bias because I’m female, but I do generally follow some key learnings that have helped me navigate my career. Being: Always say yes to opportunities, even if you’re worried you might fail or not know how to do the job, surround yourself with people that are willing to help. As women we don’t go after what we want strongly enough – be clear on your ambitions and don’t be shy about going after them.”
Trish Mackie-Smith, CEO and Co-founder of inndox
“I have personally faced gender bias and had to work hard to overcome it. Several male investors have suggested that my achievements were due to my gender, rather than merit. To counter this, I’ve had to emphasize my other business successes to prove my competence.
During early fundraising, I was called an ‘agitator’ by a male venture capitalist who questioned why he should invest in me. To change his perception, I had to soften my language about reforming the real estate industry and instead, focus on how my innovation solved a problem.”
Charlotte Bradshaw, CEO & Founder of Evrima Technologies
“Despite years of industry experience, as a non-tech solo founder I was often challenged with comments such as ‘You can’t do that, it’s not possible.’ The key lesson I learned was to ignore the negativity and invest time in research and collaboration to build a supportive network.”
Lisa Sarago, CEO and Co-Founder of Land on Heart and Land on Heart Foundation
“The biggest challenge that Indigenous women face in terms of accessing investors is that of discrimination. Over recent years, racism and discrimination have increased at alarming rates and in 2025 it has not eased with the Trumpian policies which are beginning to penetrate Australian politics. Such discrimination presents as assumptions around our intelligence, capability, and business skills.
Despite our qualifications, skills and lived experience, we are judged harshly, through a deficit lens, and often required to jump through more hoops than those of white men… The only way forward to ensure Indigenous women have an equitable opportunity to engage with investors is through brokers or programs designed and led by Indigenous women.”
Dr Louise Metcalf, Founder & CEO of Gheorg
“As a female founder, I’ve noticed a significant bias in how investors frame their questions. Women are often asked risk-prevention queries like, ‘What if you don’t meet your revenue targets?’ whereas men are encouraged with growth-oriented questions such as, ‘What will you do after hitting your targets?’
This subtle shift steers discussions towards risk rather than growth, undermining confidence in women-led startups. I counter this by steering investor conversations back to scalability and opportunities.”
Samantha Dybac, CEO and Founder of The PR Hub
“Female led startups are still underrepresented in funding, but the right PR strategy can shift investor perception and open doors. Visibility breeds credibility. Use it to your advantage.”
Thuy Pham, Spectrum Digital AI
“A big one—especially in AI and tech—is the assumption that women aren’t technical enough to build their own systems. It’s as if there’s always this expectation that we need a ‘technical co-founder’ to validate our ideas. I haven’t spoken to investors yet, but I already know how I’d navigate this: I don’t argue—I execute.
When you build something undeniable, people stop questioning whether you can do it and start asking how they can be part of it.”
Sarah Neill, CEO & Founder of Mys Tyler
“Women founders are often asked more questions about risks and potential downsides, such as churn rates or the impact of new competitors. Even when answered well, these questions focus on mitigating risk rather than highlighting the business’s potential and upside. Research and evidence strongly support this pattern… Ultimately, the job of the founder is to try and answer the prevention questions with promotion answers, if you’re talking about competitors entering, you can speak to the attractiveness of the market as a result of its size and growth rate, so it’s only natural that competitors will enter but you have a competitive advantage, a strategy, the right people etc to compete.”
Ludwina Dautovic, Founder and CEO of The Room Xchange
“As the founder of a tech company, I’ve faced the dual challenge of being a woman in tech and starting a business at a later stage in life. During my seed round, I pitched over 60 times and kept hearing the same response: ‘Great idea—come back in round two.’ It became clear that the hesitation wasn’t about the concept itself but about taking a risk on me as a female founder in a male-dominated industry with a new and unfamiliar idea. Instead of giving up, I decided to take control of the narrative. I hired a space in a Melbourne pub and organized my own pitch event… The result? Overnight, I had four meeting invitations, and by the end of the week, Thundering Herd came on board as my investment partner, helping me raise the funds I needed.”
“One common bias women founders face is being questioned more about risk mitigation rather than growth potential. In my experience, investors often focus on whether women can handle the challenges of scaling a business rather than the vision for its success. I navigated this by reframing the conversation to emphasise data-driven results, such as our verified user base, growing registrations and the problems that we solve.”
Pascale Helyar-Moray, Executive Director, Strategy, Innovation & Marketing
“One of the most prevalent investor biases I’ve encountered is the assumption that all women share the same financial experiences and opportunities. This perception often stems from the personal circles of male investors, whose partners or wives tend to have higher levels of education, stable careers, and financial security… To challenge this bias, I relied on hard data. By presenting government and industry-sourced statistics, I highlighted the structural barriers that shape women’s work and earning patterns.”
Kawai Yeung, Co-Founder of Kaunitz Yeung Architecture
“In business, perception often shapes reality. A common bias women founders face, especially those with male co-founders, is the assumption that they play a supporting role rather than leading strategy and decision making… The most effective way to navigate investor bias is not through debate, but through consistency in leadership and results. By focusing on clarity, expertise, and strategic decision-making, I ensured my role became evident through the work itself.”
Diana Horvatovic, CEO of St. Basil’s Aged Care NSW/ACT
“One bias female leaders often face is the expectation to lead with warmth and empathy while also demonstrating strength and authority. If we are too assertive, we risk being perceived as aggressive; if we are too compassionate, we may be seen as weak. The key is embracing both, leading with confidence while staying deeply connected to people.”
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On Women’s Day, we celebrate 13 women who faced bias head-on. Investors labeled them risky or just support. They ignored that and built amazing success Featured, International Women’s Day, News, International Womens Day Dynamic Business