Female Invest is the finance universe you wish you had growing up, shifting the tides of power, putting the control back into the hands of women and demanding for women’s right to exist on equal terms. Just 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. That equates to a mere 51 females at the top of some of the world’s biggest organisations, of which only three are black.

With research from the Global Economic Forum: Global Gender Gap Report stating that it will take 267 years before we can close the financial gender gap, Female Invest has taken matters into their own hands.

Female Invest’s three co-founders, Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen, Emma Bitz and Camilla Falkenberg, all began investing as teenagers despite coming from backgrounds where nobody talks about money and investing.

Their own frustration with the lack of women in the space and a shared passion for investing were the catalyst for Female Invest. The three co-founders embarked on their journey to change the status-quo for good, never imagining how big it would get.

Today, Female Invest has paying members in 99 countries, raised $12 million, are listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and written a global bestseller, Girls Just Wanna Have Funds.

The key to financial independence

The power of information and community is instrumental to financial independence.

Financial learning is the root of empowerment. It’s the beginning of feeling in touch with finance and the world that comes with it. Female Invest has made it their mission to offer an unrivalled learning universe filled with tools and resources to transform the lives of its members.

Community is the prerequisite to everything, and Female Invest has mobilised women, marginalised voices and allies alike to shift their financial tides of power.

The startup has made waves in the industry, recently having been congratulated and supported by one of the most influential women in the world. In March, the team attended a Forbes summit in Abu Dhabi where Hilary Clinton was speaking. She took an interest to Female Invest and its work, even asking for a copy of its book.

“Having one of the most influential women in the world support our work means the world to us! We had a long and really good conversation at the event itself, and it was very clear how important the issue of financial gender inequality was to her. However, we didn't expect her to send a follow-up letter which was a very nice surprise,” exclaimed Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen, Co-Founder of Female Invest.

Female Invest has also had other inspirational women reach out, including Emma Watson, and the team recently did a webinar with Deborah Meaden. “It's really nice to feel the support from women who have made it in their own industries and now support our mission,” said Anna-Sophie.

Difficulties and rewards

Of course, founding and scaling a startup is no easy feat, and trying to break glass-ceilings along the way is even harder.

The Female Invest team began with no money, network or experience.

“We've had to learn and earn everything along the way. It's been long working hours, countless setbacks, and steep learning curves. But it's all worth it because we know our work changes lives,” explained Anna-Sophie.

What has helped the startup in its success is the deep-rooted passion from its founders in Female Invest’s mission.

“Money equals power, freedom and independence, and we want more women to have more of that,” said Anna-Sophie.

The journey is far from being over. in fact, it truly has just begun. The team won’t stop until women everywhere are financially equal to men, however long it takes.