We’re not talking enough about the obstacles that female founders face

The “hero’s journey” narrative Is failing women, she says. When female founders don’t see themselves in founder stories, it breeds imposter syndrome, making many feel isolated.

We’re at a crisis of representation in entrepreneurship, and the classic tale of how to “get there” doesn’t apply. All-women founding teams have never raised more than 3% in venture capital funding since at least 2014. We learn about the hero’s journey as early as childhood, and mythos everywhere from The Lion King to the Odyssey teaches us the narrative arc of a startup build: passion discovered, adversity faced, strong team built, success unlocked. As someone in the thick of it, I call bullsh*t. This romanticized, and frankly outdated, story sanitizes the messy reality of entrepreneurship. More importantly, it ignores the voices and experiences of diverse and female founders, and the unique challenges this landscape forces upon us.