A significant percentage of women still lack a clear path to investing in venture capital and confidence about private markets overall, according to Women, Wealth and the Capital Continuum, a 2026 report from non-profit How Women Lead and investment platform How Women Invest.
The online survey, which included 315 women who met either qualified purchaser or accredited investor requirements, found that while up to 94% have already made allocations to private markets, 63% say they need guidance or are relying completely on their financial advisors to make such investments for them. At the same time, a majority—67%—plan to invest $25,000 to $49,000 in venture funds in 2026.
The survey found that 77% of respondents invest with a value-based lens. Another 58% invest with a gender-based lens with interests including women’s health, healthcare delivery and financial innovation, among others.
However, almost half (44%) of respondents said they don’t have a clear path for investing in venture capital.
“This is a group of women who are in C-suite jobs or in the corporate boardroom. The No. 1 thing is that these women are super busy. They are smart, they will take risks, but they don’t want to be irresponsible,” said Julie Castro Abrams, CEO of How Women Lead and managing partner at How Women Invest. “So, what they are looking for is something where there are not a lot of steps to go through and where they can take the first two steps. So, make it super simple and easy.”
According to Castro Abrams, about 80% of the women in her network work with a financial advisor, but that doesn’t mean they trust their advisor to make good private market investment choices for them. She cited a 2025 RFI Global report that found 19% of female-only households would switch financial advisors due to poor financial advice, compared to 13% of average U.S. households. She noted that the women investors she works with are also looking for something beyond just financial results when allocating their money.
“The corporate women leaders that I know want something that’s aligned with their values, so that might be something like an ESG mutual fund or something that prioritizes women,” Castro Abrams said. “So, they are trying to align their investments, but then they are also trying to get some power and influence from it. Any investment that gives them certain access or cache, that helps them with their board career, seems to be a priority. For example, investing in venture is a bit of a key to certain clubs almost, so it’s got more benefits than just the financial and just the values alignment.”
Today, however, women investors often lack the confidence to access private market investments, the report found. Just 19% described themselves as “very” or “extremely confident” and make decisions on their own for private market investments. Close to a quarter (24%) said they were not at all confident and rely fully on their financial advisor. Another 39% described themselves as “somewhat confident” while they still sought extra guidance. Those who described themselves as “confident”—18%—said they make investment decisions independently, but still seek outside guidance.
Almost a quarter (22%) never invested in private assets, while 27% have made only one or two allocations. Those who have invested in private markets tended to stay conservative—27% allocated from 1% to 5% of their overall portfolio to such assets.
A quarter of respondents had $25,000 to $49,000 allocated to ventures in their investment portfolio, while 14% had allocated between $50,000 and $99,000. Only 3% had over $250,000 allocated to venture capital.
The survey was conducted online and included 315 participants from across the How Women Lead community, including female board members, senior executives and women in the C-suite.
