Mexican Venture Capital Fund Aims to Empower Women

Amplifica Capital, a venture capital fund based in Mexico City, announced the successful closure of a capital funding round, reported Forbes México. The fund aims to become the first venture capital firm to fully work under a female-first model. This is achieved by prioritizing startups and companies that can have a positive impact on a woman’s life, increase opportunities for them or allow them to be economically active.

“Amplifica Capital currently has the largest number of female investors in the region and the highest percentage of capital contributions for women ever recorded," the fund explained to Forbes México. Amplifica Capital is led by the Raptis Group, which was founded by Anna Raptis. The group aims to invest in SMEs with disruptive models that use technology as a tool to solve the socio-economic and environmental problems in Latin America. “For us, it is a holistic concept. It does not just mean creating environmentally-friendly businesses but also using the tools for economic, environmental and social sustainability in the long term” said Raptis to MBN.

“Investing with a gender perspective so more capital flows towards companies led by women or that serve the needs of women should be seen as an economic growth strategy,” said Raptis to Reforma. Closing the pay gap and promoting women to leadership positions not only has a positive impact on gender equality but also on companies and countries. “This is a matter of inclusion and equity, but it is also a matter of economic potential that the country is losing by not generating the right conditions that allow women to fully join the labor market," said Minister of SHCP Arturo Herrera on Monday during the event “Economic Growth with a Gender Perspective,” reported MBN.

There has been remarkable progress on gender equality. Over the last century, countries all over the world gave women basic economic, political and social rights. However, progress on gender equality has slowed down during the last few years, according to the UN’s Gender Social Norms Index released in 2020. In Mexico, 29.25 percent of people believe men make better business decisions and are a better fit for jobs than women, according to the index.