> On my way back from [**World Football Summit**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-football-summit/) where I was invited by [**CMG Agency**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/thecmgagency/) -one of the largest agencies in the world for women’s professional football players, to co-host a workshop on leadership and share insights into the work of [**Feminvest**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/feminvestsweden/) [**Feminvest Ventures**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/feminvest-ventures/) and [**Feminvest Accelerator**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/feminvest-accelerator/). 

 

*One surprise that I learned is that maternity leave was only first introduced for women professional players in 2022 to be revised in 2024 and for the first time they see that women dare to get pregnant without loosing their career. It shows how one infrastructural change can give women players an additional five to ten years in their football career, the financial impact is huge.* 

 

I sat down to listen to a conversation with Michele Kang, what she is doing in women's football is the clearest example I have seen of what it looks like when someone with capital decides to build infrastructure rather than just write cheques.

After building her fortune exiting an healthcare technology, Michele took majority ownership of three of women's football's strongest clubs, Washington Spirit, OL Lyonnes, and London City Lionesses. The thesis: that women's sport is systematically undervalued, and that the data to prove otherwise does not yet exist. 

 

Michele made a $50 million seed investment in the Kynisca Innovation Hub, targeting $100 million in total to fund female-specific sports science research. Research-backed protocols on ACL recovery, menstrual cycle performance, and postpartum return-to-play. Knowledge that should have existed decades ago.  

 

She described that she is often portrayed as a social impact investor but is she really? Isn’t it simply a business opportunity, a new vertical that yet is to be discovered. What Michele Kang is doing in women's sport is what we are trying to do with women's entrepreneurship and the structural parallel is almost perfect. We launched a commercial program [supporting women founders in retail](https://pulse.amazon/survey/YT8ZRYEU) last week  together with Amazon and the response is great.  

 

Michele Kang is building the science that proves women athletes are excellent investment opportunities. We are building the ecosystem that proves women founders are worth backing not because it is right, but because it yields great returns. [Connect with me if you are interested in learning more about how you can take part as an investor.](https://calendar.app.google/ZTX7JYeLowz2Ab7M9)

blog

 What can the financial industry learn from football?

We’re proud to share that Michaela Berglund, CEO & Founder of Feminvest, has been invited by CMG to World Football Summit in Madrid as a speaker to share her perspective on the future of women’s football, investments and the growing value of the women’s sports ecosystem. 

 

CMG has spent the past decade shaping the market in women’s football, representing players, coaches, decision-makers and clubs at the highest level, while continuously pushing the industry forward. 

 

Women’s football is no longer simply a story about participation or visibility. It is a rapidly evolving market with enormous potential  and the next chapter will be shaped by those willing to invest, challenge existing structures and create new standards. 

 

We’re excited for Michaela to bring the Feminvest perspective to Madrid and contribute to the conversation around how we elevate value, shift power and build a more equal future. Thank you, CMG, for the invitation and for creating space for these important conversations.&#x20; 

 

[Connect with Michaela ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelaberglund/)

[michaela@feminvest.se](mailto:michaela@feminvest.se)

[Learn more about CMG](https://agencycmg.com/ "CMG")

Feminvest CEO Michaela Berglund is invited to speak at World Football Summit in Madrid

More women are starting businesses than at any point in recorded history. At the same time, the barriers have barely moved. This is the story of a global trend that is real, uneven, and far from finished. 

 

Over the past twenty years, the number of women entrepreneurs in the US has surged by 114%. Globally, women now account for 43% of all entrepreneurs. a figure that would have seemed impossible a generation ago. Women-owned businesses in the US grew 43.5% faster than men-owned businesses between 2019 and 2024, and employment in those businesses grew by 19.5%. 

 

Several forces are converging to drive women's entrepreneurship upward globally. Digital tools have lowered the cost of starting a business dramatically. No-code platforms and alternative funding models are helping female founders sustain and scale their startups in ways that were not possible five years ago. Remote work has given women more flexibility to build businesses alongside caregiving responsibilities. 

 

Policy is also moving slowly, but visibly. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor's 2025/2026 report, nine economies have either achieved or are very close to gender parity in new business startups. Women's entrepreneurship in 2026 stands at a powerful inflection point, shaped by digital transformation, global connectivity, and a renewed emphasis on human-centred leadership. 

 

At the leadership level, the number of women running Fortune 500 companies hit a new high in 2025, with 55 women CEOs leading the nation's biggest firms by revenue. The pipeline is thickening. 

 

> ***"Women-owned businesses grew 43.5% faster than men-owned businesses from 2019 to 2024."***&#x20;

 

The rise is real. So is the resistance. Despite starting businesses faster than ever, women continue to face structural headwinds that compound over time.

Women entrepreneurs get 8% less in equity capital from investors than their male counterparts and charge 7% more on their credit cards for business funding. Only one in four applicants for business financing is a woman, and women ask for $35,000 less on average than men.

Only 2.4% of women-owned businesses qualify as middle-market firms meaning that while women are starting businesses at record rates, very few are scaling them to significant size. The top of the pyramid is still largely empty. If women-owned businesses matched men-owned businesses in revenue, it would add $10.2 trillion annually to the global economy. 

 

Female business owners who previously rated their business health as "somewhat or very good" dropped from 60% to 47%, while their male counterparts reported only a five-point drop. Women are starting more but keeping businesses alive under economic pressure remains harder. **Access to capital when it matters most is still the decisive variable.** 

 

**The opportunity hiding in plain sight**

In 78% of economies, women-led small businesses in high and middle-income countries are leading the shift toward sustainability, prioritising social and environmental impact over profit accumulation. This is not softness  it is a different definition of value creation, and one the market is increasingly rewarding.

Women entrepreneurs also hire more women, creating compounding effects through the broader economy. The rise in female-led enterprises means increased diversity of thought, better problem-solving, and more vibrant markets. The business case is not contested. The capital allocation still is. 

 

Challenges remain particularly limited venture capital access and operational inefficiencies that stall growth for women-led businesses. The infrastructure around women founders mentorship, networks, patient capital, financial literacy  is still being built. In most places, it barely exists. 

 

[Join Feminvest membership](https://www.feminvest.se/en/medlemskap/ "Feminvest Membershio")  

 

[Join the Fearless conference ](https://feminvest.confetti.events/fearless-stockholm-autumn26/)

 

[Apply to the fund](https://app.youform.com/forms/wx4np47d "Feminvest Ventures") 

 

[Join Feminvest Accelerator](https://www.feminvestaccelerator.se/ "Feminvest Accelerator")

The rise and the resistance of women entrepreneurs worldwide.

For Camilla, investing has always been connected to independence, curiosity and long-term thinking. With a long career in large corporations, working mainly in B2B commercial and sales leadership roles in an international environment, she has spent much of her professional life close to business growth, strategy and people. 

 

Her interest in investing, however, started much earlier. 

 

*“I was fortunate to have a female role model,”* Camilla shares. Her grandmother used to keep her physical stock letters in a drawer, long before investing became digital. She saved for herself and for her grandchildren, both in bank accounts and in stocks, and often spoke about the importance of saving part of your earnings and making them grow.  

 

That early example stayed with Camilla. As a teenager, she started saving and investing in funds while working part-time after school. Over the years, her knowledge and investments have developed, with both good and less successful experiences along the way. 

 

*“I will not say I am even close to being an expert,”* she says, *“but I have increased my risk level over time, which sometimes pays off and sometimes it doesn’t. You simply have to be financially and mentally prepared for that.”* 

 

Camilla first came into contact with Feminvest four to five years ago, when she met Michaela Berglund at an event for female investors. The two started talking and have kept in touch since. 

 

During the last months, Camilla has become more involved in the Feminvest community and says she has been impressed by the mission and the activities being built around it. 

 

*“I would describe the community as the vehicle that brings entrepreneurs and investors closer together,”* she says. 

 

For Camilla, Feminvest is a space for knowledge sharing, competence building and exposure to new investment opportunities. It supports entrepreneurs in many different areas and gives them a platform to pitch and connect with potential investors. At the same time, investors gain access to companies and founders they may not otherwise have discovered. 

 

This is especially important in a market where female entrepreneurs still receive only a very small share of risk capital. Camilla points to the need for more networks, more visibility and more platforms that actively support female-founded businesses. 

 

*“Feminvest’s target is to increase risk capital to female entrepreneurs and support the growth of female-founded businesses,”* she says.

Professionally and personally, Feminvest has also expanded Camilla’s own understanding of the capital market. Before becoming more involved, she had limited exposure to unlisted stocks. Through Feminvest, she has discovered a space that combines an important mission with interesting investment opportunities, while also carrying a higher level of risk. 

 

One of the moments she remembers most clearly was attending one of her first pitch events. 

 

*“I was amazed by Feminvest’s work, the community in general, the competence of the pitching companies and the drive of all the entrepreneurs.”* 

 

For Camilla, the strength of Feminvest lies in its ability to bring together people who want to learn, invest and support entrepreneurs. The community creates a place where women can build knowledge, meet others, explore opportunities and become more active in ownership.

Her advice to women who want to start investing is simple and grounded: begin with something that interests you, look for a gap or unique selling point, start small and grow from there. 

 

And most importantly, do not be too cautious to take balanced risks. 

 

For Camilla, investing is not about knowing everything from the beginning. It is about learning over time, staying curious and building the confidence to take the next step. 

 

**Ready to scale your company?** 

 

Feminvest connects female entrepreneurs with investors, knowledge and a community built to support growth. Become a Feminvest member and get access to events, networking opportunities and a platform where founders and investors can meet. 

 

[JOIN FEMINVEST AS A MEMBER HERE](https://www.feminvest.se/en/medlemskap/)

article

From Stock Letters to Startup Investments: Camilla on Feminvest, Community and Female Ownership

What if we used our lunch break to move? 

Introducing **Feminvest Lunch Run**: a community run for anyone that wants to join. On the 4th we step away from our desks and run together.

No matter your pace. No matter your level.

This isn't about running the fastest. 

Bring your colleagues, your friends, your running shoes and your ambition. 

 

[@runforwomensownership](https://www.instagram.com/runforwomensownership/)

Fearless returns for its 13th edition, this time in a more intimate and curated setting at AtSix in the heart of Stockholm. 

 

Fearless brings together **women who invest, women who build companies and the partners helping them make smarter decisions, create stronger businesses and grow their ownership.** 

 

This is not a traditional conference! 

 

It is a meeting place designed around conversations that can actually lead somewhere: a new investment, a new client, a new partner, a new perspective or the introduction that changes what happens next.

 

#### How to join: 

 

## &#x20;Buy your ticket [HERE](https://feminvest.confetti.events/fearless-stockholm-autumn26) or  

 

Get your free ticket by logging into feminvest website below if you are a member in Feminvest ***Core or Investor Network**. If you are not a member,* *b*[*ecome a member HERE.*](https://www.feminvest.se/medlemskap/)

Feminvest Membership

Community

Core

Executive

Our upcoming events

Feminvest lunch run

The Feminvest latest

What can the financial industry learn from football?

Feminvest CEO Michaela Berglund is invited to speak at World Football Summit in Madrid

The rise and the resistance of women entrepreneurs worldwide.

From Stock Letters to Startup Investments: Camilla on Feminvest, Community and Female Ownership