Inc.’s eighth annual Female Founders list highlights the nation’s top business leaders who challenge the status quo to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems
LOS ANGELES, March 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Inc., the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future, today announced its eighth annual Female Founders list, honoring a bold group of 500 women whose innovations and ideas are leading their industries forward. On the list of these resilient and exceptional entrepreneurs is Jesse Draper, Founding Partner of Halogen Ventures, an early stage venture fund focused on female founders in consumer technology and B to B. As the first Venture Capitalist to prioritize investments in childcare and the future of family, Draper’s catalytic efforts for change in the tech ecosystem have also made Halogen Ventures the first out of state venture fund to recently receive funding from the state of Alabama to support Female Founders.
Jesse Draper, Founding Partner Halogen Ventures
Each year, Inc. editors review thousands of applications highlighting female founders who are challenging the status quo and tackling some of the world’s biggest problems, and cull applicants through three rounds of judging, looking specifically at an entrepreneur’s bona fides in the past year. While Draper has long championed the financial opportunity of investing in women, 2024 was a pivotal year. Halogen saw over 10,000 deals from women-led startups, many of them tackling world-changing problems in fields like cancer research, fintech, AI, and crypto. Draper demonstrated that female led businesses deliver remarkable returns and proved there is no lack of deal flow from female founders who are innovating. Halogen’s 75 portfolio companies include 5 unicorns, have created over $15B market value and are 100% female founded.
“The most powerful thing we can do to help society and the economy is to get more money into the hands of women,” states Jesse Draper, Founding Partner of Halogen Ventures. “Investing in women represents one of the most overlooked and high potential investment opportunities of our time — far beyond closing gender gaps or a charity play — Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Barbie held up the GDP last year, yet despite the influence and purchasing power of women, the gender parity issues in business leadership remain. In a world where women receive less than 2% of VC funding, we need to drive change. I am honored to be included in this incredible list of women who are challenging the status quo.”
The founders cross all industries and bring with them unique stories of success from each stage of the entrepreneurial journey — from startup to going public, being acquired by big buyers, or spending decades at the helm of an organization.
Draper is relentless in her mission to get more capital to women and is championing the opportunity for the $7.5T future of family and $520B childcare markets. Halogen’s strategic investments include Everlywell’s at-home health testing (valuation $3.5B), Babylist’s rapid growth in retail ($1B GMV), Flex, the top selling brand in sustainable period care ($24.8B market), HopSkipDrive’s expansion (over 1M safe trips to and from schools), Upwards leadership in childcare solutions ($520B market), Metropolis (Parking technology company that raised $1.8B in 2024). Halogen is proving that supporting female-founded startups not only will solve some of the biggest problems facing society today, but also deliver substantial financial returns in 2025 and for decades to come.
“Female founders know what struggle is, but they’re also experts of improvisation, adaptability, and creativity. The women featured on this year’s list exemplify these qualities. Through times of uncertainty, their unwavering dedication and steadfast leadership are not only inspiring but vital to driving progress,” said Inc. executive editor Diana Ransom.
Along with Draper, to see the complete list of honorees, please visit: https://www.inc.com/female-founders
About Inc.
Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
About Halogen Ventures
Halogen Ventures is an early stage venture capital fund focused on consumer technology companies with a female in the founding team. The Halogen team brings deep expertise and experience in understanding consumer and B2B trends and behavior and identifying entrepreneurs who will innovate and solve problems at scale. General Partner Jesse Draper is a 4th generation venture capitalist, and advocate for investing in women, one of Marie Claire’s ‘Most networked women in America’. Halogen has invested in over 75 early stage deals including Everlywell, Babylist, HopskipDrive, Metropolis, Flex, ThisisL. (acquired by P&G), Squadapp (Acquired by Twitter) and Eloquii (acquired by Walmart). For more information, please visit https://halogenvc.com/.
Media Contact: [email protected]
SOURCE Halogen Ventures
