The award-winning US documentary Show Her The Money, about venture funding for female founders, will have its Australian premiere later this month, with screenings in Sydney and Melbourne.
The film is being presented by SheBacks.Me, a community organisation which has emerged out of SheEO to support Australian female founders and investors to close the gender funding gap in the Australian startup ecosystem.
The film follows four US entrepreneurs as they fight battles to turn their ideas into reality. The women, with the financial support and mentorship of extraordinary female angel investors, how how determined, resourceful and resilient they are amid gender challenges and all have the potential to build a “unicorn” startup valued at $1 billion.
The fab four are:
Vicky Pasche, who aspires to change the world of fashion with Dapper Boi, a gender-neutral, body inclusive apparel line.
Jasmine Jones, founder of Myya, wants to make shopping for mastectomy bras empowering, convenient and sexy for breast cancer survivors.
Diipa Büller-Khosla, founder of indē wild, creates beauty products influenced by ancient Indian medicine known as Ayurveda. She is empowering South Asian women to celebrate their brown skin in a country that historically markets skin lightening products.
Marian Leitner’s company, Archer Roose, sells luxury wines in cans, reinventing the image of wine drinkers while lowering the carbon footprint of the wine industry.
The film also offer a peek into the lives of investors including: Dawn Lafreeda, a waitress turned millionaire, who owns more restaurants than any woman in the US; Pocket Sun who is the youngest woman ever to start her own VC Fund, declares as one of the top 100 most powerful women in the US; and powerhouse investor Wendy Ryan, who is using her generational wealth to empower women and BIPOC entrepreneurs.
Show Her the Money is a compelling documentary that delves into the persistent funding disparities faced by women entrepreneurs. It also demystifies VC.
While Australia performs above the global figure of 2% of VC funding going to women founders, SheBacks.Me CEO Shelin David there’s still plenty more work to do – and the upside could add $71–$135 billion to Australia’s economy.
“Despite significant contributions to innovation, women founders receive a mere 4.01% of venture capital funding in Australia,” she said.
“To achieve true gender equity in Australia, we must dismantle funding barriers for women entrepreneurs and democratise access to investor education. This is essential for fostering a more inclusive and prosperous investment landscape.”
The screenings, in Melbourne on June 26 and Sydney on June 28, will be followed by a panel discussion on ‘VC Funding for Female Founders in Australia’ featuring women in the entrepreneurship and investment ecosystem.
Siobhan O’Sullivan, COO, of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) is the keynote speaker in Sydney.
“Our mission is to equip women with the knowledge and resources necessary to navigate the venture capital landscape,” says the film’s award-winning producer, Catherine Gray, attending from the US. Gray is also an author, Tedx speaker, podcast host, and founder of She Angel Investors.
Shelin David said SheBacks.Me will use the proceeds from ticket sales to build a grant fund to support women entrepreneurs, and the organisation plans to launch educational courses later this year for women who want to start investing and founders seeking investment.
“Investing in women benefits everyone,” David said.
“In bringing this film to Australia, we hope that everyone–regardless of gender–will understand the benefits of backing more women entrepreneurs, and be inspired to take action. You don’t have to be a millionaire to invest, there are lots of options to get started.”
As a special bonus, Show Her the Money producer Catherine Gray is coming from the US to share her insights and experiences in creating the documentary.
Here are the screening details:
Melbourne: June 26, 6:30pm
RMIT University, Building 80, 435-457 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Tickets: Book here
Sydney: June 28, 4:30pm
Fishburners, Level 2/11 York St, Sydney
Tickets: Book here
Here’s a little more on the film.
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