Latest news with #CatherineGray
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Women investors fund female founders to realize good returns.
Investing in female-founded ventures offers women investors a powerful dual advantage: compelling ... More financial returns and the ability to foster meaningful societal impact. Leveraging her unique background in media, Catherine Gray is tackling the stark venture capital funding gap—where solely female-founded companies received just 2.1% of US VC in 2024. She sees it as a structural failure and a missed investment opportunity. Through her influential film, Show Her the Money, and the subsequent launch of the Silicon Valley Women Founders Fund, she's demonstrating how, using storytelling and direct investment, women investors can work together to unlock the proven potential of women entrepreneurs and reshape the investment landscape for both profit and purpose. Catherine Gray wasn't always immersed in the world of venture capital. For 15 years, she was a leading account executive in cable television advertising. She then left that role to become vice president of advertising at the first gay cable network. That move marked a turning point in her career. She would dedicate her work to projects that make a meaningful difference. Gray produced a film supporting same-sex marriage and saw how powerful storytelling can help drive real change. That experience now drives her work in venture investing, where she's tackling the deep gender gap in venture capital. The numbers paint a stark picture: In 2024, companies founded solely by women received a mere 2.1% of all venture capital dollars in the U.S., according to Pitchbook. Teams with male and female founders secured 20.9%, while male-only teams received the vast majority at 77%. Gray saw not just a discrepancy but a missed opportunity. The persistent under investment in female-founded startups is a challenge and a significant lost opportunity for investors seeking strong returns. She believes investing in women-led businesses is not just a way to make a social impact but also a huge investment opportunity. Recognizing the need to educate and engage a wider audience, Gray returned to film making. She created Show Her the Money, raising $1 million for its production. The movie's goal wasn't just to recognize the problem but to make investing in venture capital feel impactful and within reach of women investors by telling an engaging story. The film struck a chord. It became a catalyst, sparking a global movement. Due to high demand, what started as a planned 50-city tour ballooned to over 150 screenings worldwide, proving Gray's thesis: Storytelling could ignite understanding and enthusiasm for changing the venture landscape. This momentum also led directly to her co-founding the Silicon Valley Women Founders Fund, turning awareness into action. Understanding how women invest reveals why they are particularly well-suited for venture capital, an asset class poised for growth and impact. Research highlighted in the How Women (and Men) Invest in Startups* shows women are risk-astute investors. They recognize the importance of having a diversified portfolio by investing in different asset classes, such as private companies, and diversifying within the asset class. A long-term investment strategy can lead to more stable returns and lower costs, according to BlackRock. It takes time for an investment in a startup to reach its potential. This strategy aligns with women's tendency to invest for the long term. VC funds address practical considerations. Women often value investment guidance from financial advisors or the experienced partners managing a VC fund. When time is tight, like for most women, having professionals advising you on your investments can be a smart move. VCs do this for the investments they make. Many emerging manager funds also have lower minimums to encourage women to invest in this asset class. This makes the investing venture more accessible. Beyond delivering a return on their investment, women frequently prioritize investing in ways that make a positive social impact, according to How Women Invest's research report. Catherine Gray echoes this, emphasizing that 'venture capital uniquely allows investors to 'vote with [their] money' to support innovation that matters.' She notes the excitement of VC comes from meeting founders, gaining early access to groundbreaking ideas, and participating in building the future—blending wealth creation with tangible impact. Gray contrasts this with angel investing, suggesting VC funds offer built-in expertise, deal vetting, and inherent diversification, making the asset class feel less daunting and more aligned with the strategic, impact-oriented approach many women favor. Born directly from the momentum generated by the Show Her the Money film, the Silicon Valley Women Founders Fund represents Catherine Gray's commitment turned into tangible action. With a target of $100 million, the fund focuses on investing in pre-seed and seed-stage women-led technology companies across various sectors like FinTech and Climate Tech, ideally seeking innovations incorporating an AI component for efficiency. However, the fund aims to provide far more than just capital. Leveraging the corporate venture expertise of Gray's partner, John Majeski (formerly with Dell, HP, and Lenovo), it offers portfolio companies a strategic advantage, helping them understand what large tech firms look for in acquisitions or partnerships. Their venture studio offers hands-on support in key areas like marketing, legal, and accounting—helping founders navigate the challenges that often stall early-stage startups. Just as important, the fund backs founders who share its values, placing as much weight on character as on innovative tech. True to its mission, 1% of the fund's profits go to nonprofits that empower women and girls. This initiative reflects Gray's hopeful outlook on today's investment landscape. Where others see roadblocks, she sees openings to create meaningful change. She highlights the 'great wealth transfer' as a pivotal moment—one where women are gaining unprecedented control over wealth and, with it, greater influence in venture capital and family office investments. It's a moment ripe for funds like hers to thrive. Gray also sees her growing platform as a way to bring together women innovators from around the world. Her fund is just one part of the broader Show Her the Money movement, which includes an upcoming book, educational programs, and a potential docu-series—all focused on building a more inclusive and forward-thinking future. Investing in female-founded ventures offers a powerful dual advantage: compelling financial returns backed by data, and the ability to foster meaningful societal impact. Women investors and their allies can wield their investment power and shape an innovative economy that is more representative of society and their needs.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hims & Hers aired a Super Bowl ad for weight loss drugs. It alarmed health experts and senators.
During the Super Bowl, Hims & Hers Health aired a commercial called 'Sick of the System.' But before the 60-second spot was played on Fox Sunday night, the ad — which deems obesity 'America's deadliest epidemic,' criticizes the $160 billion weight loss industry and calls the health care system 'broken,' all while offering the brand's own 'affordable, doctor-trusted' compounded semaglutide as a solution — was called 'misleading' and 'disparaging' by experts, advocates and politicians. The company, however, disputes the claims. In response to complaints made publicly by the Partnership for Safe Medicine and the Obesity Society, Hims & Hers provided Yahoo Life with the following statement: This is a clear attempt by industry groups to cancel an advertisement that directly calls out how they are part of a system that fails to prioritize the health of Americans. The system is broken, and this is just another example of how they don't want Americans to know they have options. We're calling for change, which means putting the health of Americans first through affordable and available care. Set to Childish Gambino's 'This is America,' the telehealth company declares that "something's broken and it's not our bodies." The ad says that "there are medications that work, but they're priced for profits, not patients," and features images of injection pens meant to represent brand-name weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. "The system wasn't built to help us, it was built to keep us sick and stuck," the narrator says before offering Hims & Hers as the solution to the fact that 74% of Americans are overweight: by providing Americans with "affordable, doctor-trusted, life-changing" weight loss medications. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. On YouTube, where the commercial debuted at the end of January, viewers are sent to a webpage that states, 'Big Pharma doesn't want you to see this' at the top. Hims & Hers believes that is where the controversy lies. 'We called on the industry and said that they need to change — and their reaction is trying to shut this ad down,' says a representative for the company. 'To us, it's clear that it's not about the ad — it's about the message.' In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, health care groups and lawmakers alleged that Hims & Hers didn't abide by advertising standards and were purposely withheld information from consumers. In a letter to Dr. Catherine Gray, director of the office of prescription drug promotion at the Food and Drug Administration, the executive director of the Partnership for Safe Medicines points out that Hims & Hers directly references the 'life-changing weight loss medications' that it offers without clarifying that it is a compounded semaglutide and, therefore, isn't FDA-approved. 'The disclaimer appears only briefly in tiny gray font at the bottom of the screen that is nearly imperceptible to an average viewer, without any accompanying audio disclosure,' the letter reads. Also, the ad lacks any mention of possible side effects of the medication despite the FDA's warning that compounded drugs 'can be risky for patients' as a result of not undergoing the administration's safety, effectiveness and quality reviews. This was also mentioned in another letter written by the Partnership for Safe Medicines to executives at Fox demanding that the ad 'be withdrawn to protect public safety.' 'We adhere to all applicable laws and regulations regarding advertising,' says Hims & Hers. Compounded medications are subject to a separate set of standards than those that are FDA-approved. Another letter addressed to Dr. Sarah Brenner, acting commissioner of the FDA, written by senators Richard Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, and Roger Marshall, Republican of Kansas, on Friday calls this 'a regulatory loophole' that needs fixing. 'We plan to soon introduce bipartisan legislation to close this gap, so that patients are not deceived by advertisements that glaringly omit critical safety and side effect information,' the letter reads. 'But we believe FDA may already have the authority to take enforcement action against marketing that may mislead patients about this company's products.' The Obesity Society urges viewers 'to speak with their medical doctor regarding obesity medications,' according to a press release. The organization made additional comments about the content of the ad, claiming that the imagery reinforces harmful weight stigma and bias. 'Hims & Hers portrays obesity with images of large headless abdomens which does create a visceral negative response by the viewer, and they unfortunately cast a disparaging connotation for people living with obesity,' says Dr. Marc-Andrew Cornier, the organization's president. After millions of people watched the ad, critiques were less concerned about the minutiae and largely focused on the bigger message. While the first half of the spot got rave reviews, the "bait and switch" was called "misleading," "hypocritical" and "dystopian" for the ad's efforts to expose the health care system's issues all while trying to profit from them. "Stop preying on people under the guise of criticizing healthcare industry," one person wrote in an Instagram comment on the company's page. Another said, "How can you miss the point so badly??? The system IS broken. It is NOT our bodies. You ARE chasing profit. Try again."
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The Hims & Hers Super Bowl ad about weight loss drugs took on America's 'broken' health care system. Why was there backlash?
During the Super Bowl, Hims & Hers Health aired a commercial called 'Sick of the System.' But before the 60-second spot was played on Fox Sunday night, the ad — which deems obesity 'America's deadliest epidemic,' criticizes the $160 billion weight loss industry and calls the health care system 'broken,' all while offering the brand's own 'affordable, doctor-trusted' compounded semaglutide as a solution — was called 'misleading' and 'disparaging' by experts, advocates and politicians. The company, however, disputes the claims. In response to complaints made publicly by the Partnership for Safe Medicines and the Obesity Society (TOS), Hims & Hers provided Yahoo Life with the following statement: This is a clear attempt by industry groups to cancel an advertisement that directly calls out how they are part of a system that fails to prioritize the health of Americans. The system is broken, and this is just another example of how they don't want Americans to know they have options. We're calling for change, which means putting the health of Americans first through affordable and available care. Set to Childish Gambino's 'This is America,' the telehealth company declares that "something's broken and it's not our bodies." The ad says that "there are medications that work, but they're priced for profits, not patients," and features images of injection pens meant to represent brand-name weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. "The system wasn't built to help us, it was built to keep us sick and stuck," the narrator says before offering Hims & Hers as the solution to the fact that 74% of Americans are overweight: by providing Americans with "affordable, doctor-trusted, life-changing" weight loss medications. On YouTube, where the commercial debuted at the end of January, viewers are sent to a webpage that states, 'Big Pharma doesn't want you to see this' at the top. Hims & Hers believes that is where the controversy lies. 'We called on the industry and said that they need to change — and their reaction is trying to shut this ad down,' says a representative for the company. 'To us, it's clear that it's not about the ad — it's about the message.' In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, health care groups and lawmakers alleged that Hims & Hers didn't abide by advertising standards and were purposely withheld information from consumers. In a letter to Dr. Catherine Gray, the director of the office of prescription drug promotion at the Food and Drug Administration, the executive director of the Partnership for Safe Medicines points out that Hims & Hers directly references the 'life-changing weight loss medications' that it offers without clarifying that it is a compounded semaglutide and, therefore, isn't FDA-approved. 'The disclaimer appears only briefly in tiny gray font at the bottom of the screen that is nearly imperceptible to an average viewer, without any accompanying audio disclosure,' the letter reads. Also, the ad lacks any mention of possible side effects of the medication despite the FDA's warning that compounded drugs 'can be risky for patients' as a result of not undergoing the administration's safety, effectiveness and quality reviews. This was also mentioned in another letter written by The Partnership for Safe Medicines to executives at Fox demanding that the ad 'be withdrawn to protect public safety.' 'We adhere to all applicable laws and regulations regarding advertising,' says Hims & Hers. Compounded medications are subject to a separate set of standards than those that are FDA-approved. Another letter addressed to Dr. Sarah Brenner, acting commissioner of the FDA, written by senators Richard Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, and Roger Marshall, Republican of Kansas, on Friday calls this 'a regulatory loophole' that needs fixing. 'We plan to soon introduce bipartisan legislation to close this gap, so that patients are not deceived by advertisements that glaringly omit critical safety and side effect information,' the letter reads. 'But we believe FDA may already have the authority to take enforcement action against marketing that may mislead patients about this company's products.' The Obesity Society urges viewers 'to speak with their medical doctor regarding obesity medications,' according to a press release. The organization made additional comments about the content of the ad, claiming that the imagery reinforces harmful weight stigma and bias. 'Hims & Hers portrays obesity with images of large headless abdomens which does create a visceral negative response by the viewer, and they unfortunately cast a disparaging connotation for people living with obesity,' says Dr. Marc-Andrew Cornier, the organization's president. After millions of people watched the ad, critiques were less concerned about the minutiae and largely focused on the bigger message. While the first half of the spot got rave reviews, the "bait and switch" was called "misleading," "hypocritical" and "dystopian" for the ad's efforts to expose the health care system's issues all while trying to profit from them. "Stop preying on people under the guise of criticizing healthcare industry," one person wrote in an Instagram comment on the company's page. Another said, "How can you miss the point so badly??? The system IS broken. It is NOT our bodies. You ARE chasing profit. Try again."
