AeQuitas Invest, an Omaha-based, women-led financial technology company, has launched an online funding portal designed to expand access to capital for women-owned businesses. AeQuitas is a registered funding portal operating under Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF).
AeQuitas joins dozens of other funding portals that operate in the same sector of online capital formation.
Through the AeQuitas, issuers can prepare and launch securities offerings, while prospective investors can invest after reviewing disclosures.
Molly Huyck founded AQi after her own experience raising capital as a woman entrepreneur following a 21-year career at PayPal.
The company notes that all-women solo or team entrepreneurs receive less than 2% of U.S. venture capital funding and less than 20% of traditional business loans, despite founding nearly half of all new businesses, according to industry data compiled by PitchBook.
Additionally, women-led companies have generated approximately 78 cents in revenue per dollar invested, compared with 31 cents for male-led companies, based on aggregated historical performance data cited in Boston Consulting Group industry analyses.
AeQuitas reports that there are several issuers that are in early intake and disclosure stages.