By Tanya Parfenyuk
Female founders are grossly undervalued. Though women make up 38% of business owners, startups with only female founders consistently receive just 2% to 3% of venture investment. That speaks volumes about long-standing gender biases in the entrepreneurial space.
In a system where women must already work harder to be recognized, the added complexity of pregnancy can feel like an almost insurmountable hurdle.
But having navigated a successful Series A funding at my startup Zing, while pregnant, I know firsthand that achieving your funding goals with a baby on board isn’t impossible.
Rather than an added weight, continuing to raise funding while pregnant is a testament to your passion and commitment, and a fantastic opportunity to highlight your team-building skills and long-term vision — all qualities VCs look for in a founder.
Maintaining transparency
Investors are putting up capital with no guarantee the startup will survive, let alone deliver a return on investment. Trust is a crucial part of the founder-investor relationship, and disclosing a pregnancy shows the honesty and openness they value.
A seasoned investor has seen it all and no startup is without its struggles. If not pregnancy, there would be a different challenge to navigate, so don’t put your fundraising plan on hold just because you’re expecting.
As long as you can demonstrate your commitment to the product and ability to deal with the challenges ahead, investors will show understanding — as Zing’s successful Series A proves, having been completed in just six months.
Will you face bias? Undoubtedly. A whopping 62% of female founders report experiencing discrimination during the fundraising process, whether pregnant or not. Take this honesty as a blessing. You will have to work closely with this person as your business grows, so would you rather learn of their questionable opinions before or after you sign on the dotted line?
Planning for disruption
Investors are incredibly risk-averse, which is part of the reason just 2% of venture capital funding is given to women-led startups. There’s no telling whether you will require an extended absence to focus on your health or if your appetite for entrepreneurship will wane as you navigate motherhood — but investors will want a clear picture of how it’s likely to impact their investment.
A comprehensive maternity plan — detailing any expected absences, how responsibilities will be delegated while you’re away, and how the company plans to deal with any problems — will reassure investors. This will also put you in good stead to adapt quickly when issues arise.
You will face unique challenges that add to the complexity of leading a startup. For me, it was the intense cravings and constant bathroom breaks that seemed determined to interrupt crucial meetings.
But you’re a founder, so it isn’t like this is your first time dealing with the unexpected. Pregnancy is just another challenge on your company’s journey, so deal with it as you would any other.
Putting your health first
Sometimes, entrepreneurship feels like a competition to see who can work the most and sleep the least. It’s not the healthiest of lifestyles and is only made worse by the aches and pains of pregnancy. It’s incredibly taxing — and, with your little one’s health to worry about too, it’s no time to try to prove your unwavering resilience.
While you shouldn’t pause your fundraising, you should put the post-conference parties and long business trips on hold for a while. Take breaks, listen to your body, and put your health first, and you’ll be back leading your team in no time. But ignoring your body will only harm your productivity and motivation, delay your return to work, and damage your startup’s prospects of achieving its funding goals.
Tanya Parfenyuk is the CEO and co-founder of Zing Coach, an AI-driven personal training app. She has more than a decade of experience in launching and scaling health and fitness products. Under her leadership, Zing Coach has surpassed 1 million downloads, achieved the highest retention rate among competitors (as reported by Sensor Tower), and recently secured $10 million in Series A funding. In addition to her achievements in fitness tech, Parfenyuk is a passionate advocate for female leadership, actively engaging with organizations including Global Female Leaders and The Female Lead.
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Illustration: Dom Guzman
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