OPEN Global Women Initiative is hosting a virtual session titled The Money Question: Navigating Funding as a Woman Entrepreneur on June 27, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Eastern Time, bringing together women entrepreneurs, business owners, and ecosystem practitioners for an interactive conversation about one of the most persistently discussed and least clearly understood challenges in entrepreneurship: whether and how access to capital differs for women-led businesses. The session is presented by Naila Qazi, a Prosci ADKAR certified professional and International Coaching Federation coach, alongside Tariq Khan, and registration is open at lnkd.in/guVgZKfG.
The funding gap for women entrepreneurs is a topic that generates strong opinions on all sides, with advocates pointing to well-documented data showing that women-led ventures receive a disproportionately small share of venture capital globally, and skeptics arguing that the disparity reflects differences in the types of businesses women tend to build rather than systemic bias in how capital is allocated. The June 27 session is designed to move past the rhetorical versions of this debate and into a more grounded examination of what the evidence actually shows, what barriers women founders encounter in practice when raising capital, and what practical responses are available to founders who are navigating this environment rather than simply observing it. The framing of the session as an exploration of realities, myths, and opportunities signals an intent to hold the complexity of the question honestly rather than defaulting to either a narrative of victimhood or a dismissal of structural challenges.
The session’s agenda covers the full arc of the funding conversation that women entrepreneurs need to engage with at different stages of their business development. The question of what funding options are available at different growth stages addresses a knowledge gap that affects founders across gender lines but has particular relevance for women entrepreneurs who may have had less exposure to the investor landscape through professional networks and informal mentorship channels that have historically been less accessible to them. Practical strategies for strengthening funding readiness and financial confidence translate the more abstract conversation about barriers into actionable preparation, giving participants something to work with immediately after the session rather than simply a more informed understanding of the problem.
The interactive format of the session, which includes breakout discussions alongside expert insights and networking opportunities, reflects an understanding that the most valuable learning in this space tends to happen through peer exchange as much as through expert presentation. Women entrepreneurs who have navigated the funding process, successfully or not, carry knowledge about what works and what does not that is often more practically useful than any generalised framework, and the breakout structure creates space for that knowledge to surface and circulate within the session rather than remaining confined to the individuals who hold it.
OPEN Global Women Initiative’s focus on positioning businesses for sustainable growth and investment as a closing theme for the session reflects a deliberate shift in emphasis from the problem to the response. Understanding the barriers women face when raising capital is necessary but not sufficient. The more consequential outcome for participants is leaving the June 27 session with a clearer sense of how to build a business and a funding narrative that is genuinely competitive in the current environment, regardless of what that environment’s structural limitations may be. Women entrepreneurs interested in joining the conversation can register at lnkd.in/guVgZKfG ahead of the June 27 event.
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