{"id":863091,"date":"2025-07-17T19:12:39","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T00:12:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/17\/two-female-vcs-bet-big-on-womens-health-and-sports\/"},"modified":"2025-07-17T19:12:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T00:12:39","slug":"two-female-vcs-bet-big-on-womens-health-and-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/17\/two-female-vcs-bet-big-on-womens-health-and-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Female VCs Bet Big On Women&#8217;s Health And Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<figure role=\"presentation\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/specials-images.forbesimg.com\/imageserve\/687503fbeef8919a1def1ac5\/women-VCs--female-VCs--women-in-venture-capital--women-s-health-investment--femtech\/960x0.png?fit=scale\" alt=\"women VCs, female VCs, women in venture capital, women\u2019s health investment, femtech funding, diverse founders VC, Muse Capital, SailGP acquisition, women investing in startups, women\u2019s sports VC\" data-height=\"295\" data-width=\"565\"><\/p><figcaption><fbs-accordion><\/p>\n<p role=\"button\">Left to right: Muse Capital co-founders Assia Grazioli-Venier and Rachel Springate.<\/p>\n<p><\/fbs-accordion><small>Muse Capital is an early-stage investor uncovering untapped potential in consumer technology that\u2019s redefining how we care, play, and live.<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From femtech to sports team ownership, two women venture capitalists prove that backing overlooked markets is good business.<\/p>\n<p>When Muse Capital co-founders Assia Grazioli-Venier and Rachel Springate launched their firm, they weren\u2019t just looking for returns\u2014they were looking to make an impact. With a strong background in business development, entertainment, and technology, the pair built a VC firm <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musecapital.vc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.musecapital.vc\/\" aria-label=\"focused on women\u2019s health and sports\"><u data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.musecapital.vc\/\">focused on women\u2019s health and sports<\/u><\/a>, as well as on founders and investors who bring fresh perspectives often ignored by Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n<p>Their model is resonating. Muse Capital has invested in companies like Midi, Cofertility, and Eli Health\u2014pioneers in femtech and hormone health\u2014long before women\u2019s healthcare innovation became trendy. Now, they\u2019ve taken that thesis a step further with the acquisition of SailGP Italia, making Muse the first female-led ownership group in the SailGP sailing league, in partnership with Red Bull. Muse Capital isn\u2019t just betting on founders. They\u2019re betting on culture, community, and women.<\/p>\n<h2>A VC Firm Built by Operators\u2014And Guided By Purpose<\/h2>\n<p>Grazioli-Venier and Springate didn\u2019t follow the traditional VC track. Instead, they brought decades of experience creating partnerships between startups and Fortune 500s, celebrities, athletes, and influencers\u2014relationships they now activate on behalf of portfolio companies.<\/p>\n<p>That operator DNA is Muse Capital\u2019s superpower. The firm helped Eli Health land a free Times Square billboard, brought Maria Sharapova on board as a strategic investor in Cofertility, and provided the opportunity to be a part of the Disney accelerator for Flickplay. \u201cWe want to be the most strategic, helpful investor on your cap table,\u201d Springate said. \u201cWe don\u2019t just make introductions\u2014we execute.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their support goes far beyond capital. Lauren Makler, founder of Cofertility, said, \u201cFrom day one, Muse Capital has been one of Cofertility\u2019s most dedicated champions. Their support of initiatives like our Level the Playing Field campaign is just one example of how they show up\u2014offering thoughtful insight, strategic introductions, and a genuine commitment to our growth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Muse\u2019s thesis spans three investment buckets: care, live, and play.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The \u201ccare\u201d bucket, shaped by Grazioli-Venier\u2019s experience with breast cancer, includes menopause care, fertility, maternal health, elder care, and mental health\u2014areas historically underfunded by venture capital.<\/li>\n<li>The \u201clive\u201d category includes Ohai, an AI-powered platform helping families manage daily life more efficiently; Save Trees, a sustainable bamboo paper company tackling deforestation; and Clarity Money, a data-driven financial advisory platform that Goldman Sachs acquired.<\/li>\n<li>The &#8220;play&#8221; category of Muse Capital\u2019s portfolio includes Just Women\u2019s Sports, a digital-first media brand focused entirely on women\u2019s sports; Wonder Works, a Roblox-native gaming studio creating immersive, collaborative experiences for young players; and Caribu, an award-winning virtual playdate and educational platform for kids, which Mattel acquired.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A consortium led in part by Muse Capital\u2019s founding partner Grazioli-Venier has acquired the Red Bull Italy SailGP team, marking the first female-led ownership group in the league\u2019s history. Through her sports advisory arm, Muse Sport, Grazioli-Venier is steering the team alongside luxury entrepreneur Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo and two-time America\u2019s Cup winner Jimmy Spithill. The investor group includes Anne Hathaway, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, and other industry leaders. For Grazioli-Venier, the league\u2019s commitment to mixed-gender teams, sustainability, and commercial viability made it a compelling opportunity.<\/p>\n<figure role=\"presentation\"><figcaption><fbs-accordion classname=\"expandable\" current=\"-1\"><\/p>\n<p role=\"button\">Red Bull Italy SailGP sailing past the grandstand of The Rolex SailGP 2025 Championship ITM New <span data-ga-track=\"caption expand\">&#8230; More<\/span><span> Zealand Sail Grand Prix<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/fbs-accordion><small>Felix Diemer for SailGP<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Unlocking Venture Capital By Tapping Wealthy Women Investors<\/h2>\n<p>While Muse\u2019s portfolio focuses on founders, the firm is also helping to redefine who gets to be a funder. Like many female-led VC firms, Muse encountered skepticism from institutions that deemed women\u2019s health or menopause a \u201cniche.\u201d So they turned to their network, which included family offices and high-net-worth individuals\u2014often women\u2014who understood the opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>Muse\u2019s experience aligns with what <em>How Women (and Men) Invest in Startups,* <\/em>found: Wealthy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.howwomeninvest.com\/reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.howwomeninvest.com\/reports\" aria-label=\"women are well-suited to be limited partners\"><u data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.howwomeninvest.com\/reports\">women are well-suited to be limited partners<\/u><\/a> (LPs) in venture funds because they are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>Risk-astute<\/strong><\/em>, preferring diversified portfolios that funds provide, and taking calculated risks<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Long-term investors<\/strong><\/em>, comfortable with venture\u2019s multi-year horizons<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Socially responsible<\/strong>,<\/em> often aligning investments with their values<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But they\u2019re also relational. Women often want a trusted advisor\u2014a financial planner or fellow woman investor\u2014to validate or guide their investment decisions. A VC plays that role.<\/p>\n<p>Irma Wang, managing director at Bridge Ventures, explained why her firm backed Muse: \u201cWe\u2019ve been very interested in the fund\u2019s focus on women\u2019s healthcare tech\u2014a space that\u2019s been historically overlooked, but that is full of potential and actually helping to fulfill a real need. Muse isn\u2019t passive with its portfolio companies; the founders actively help shape outcomes by sharing co-investment opportunities and making high-impact introductions.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Rewriting The Rules Of Venture Capital Funding<\/h2>\n<p>Despite progress, the venture capital landscape remains profoundly unequal. In 2024, only <a href=\"https:\/\/pitchbook.com\/news\/articles\/the-vc-female-founders-dashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/pitchbook.com\/news\/articles\/the-vc-female-founders-dashboard\" aria-label=\"2% of U.S. VC\"><u data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/pitchbook.com\/news\/articles\/the-vc-female-founders-dashboard\">2% of U.S. VC<\/u><\/a> funding went to all-female founding teams, and 21.2% to mixed-gender founding teams\u2014down from a high of 24.3% in 2023, according to PitchBook\u2019s Female Founders Dashboard. The numbers at the funder level are equally stark: Just <a href=\"https:\/\/pitchbook.com\/news\/reports\/2024-us-all-in-female-founders-in-the-vc-ecosystem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/pitchbook.com\/news\/reports\/2024-us-all-in-female-founders-in-the-vc-ecosystem\" aria-label=\"17.3% of decision-makers at U.S. VC firms\"><u data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/pitchbook.com\/news\/reports\/2024-us-all-in-female-founders-in-the-vc-ecosystem\">17.3% of decision-makers at U.S. VC firms<\/u><\/a> with at least $50 million in assets under management were women in 2024, according to <em>Pitchbook US All In: Female Founders in the VC Ecosystem.<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Muse Capital is part of a new wave of female-led funds working to change that from both sides. Marina Pavlovic Rivas, co-founder and CEO of Eli Health, noted, \u201cMuse is the rare kind of investor every category-defining founder dreams of. They saw early where the world was headed and developed a bold thesis about how our groundbreaking technology would uniquely shape that future, long before it became evident to most.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, Muse Capital began testing their thesis\u2014that investors could be strategically hands-on partners\u2014by writing angel checks in women\u2019s health startups. Within just 14 months, they saw a couple of early exits\u2014an uncommon outcome at the seed stage. Encouraged by those results, they launched their first venture fund in 2018 and followed with a second in 2022. To support portfolio growth and give LPs additional exposure, they also raised special-purpose vehicles (SPVs) for follow-on rounds. Today, Muse Capital has $52 million in assets under management. Nine of their portfolio companies have exited.<\/p>\n<h2>Women Reshaping Venture\u2014From VCs To LPs To Founders<\/h2>\n<p>Muse Capital proves that when you center women\u2019s health innovation, back diverse startup founders, and engage female investors, you don\u2019t just create impact\u2014you build momentum. The firm is still investing out of its second fund and laying the groundwork for its third, all while continuing to reshape how venture capital views risk, leadership, and opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>Whether helping a startup land celebrity backing or reshaping ownership in global sports, Muse Capital is showing what\u2019s possible when female VCs lead\u2014and invest\u2014in the future they want to see.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>*This article&#8217;s author, Geri Stengel, is the founder of Ventureneer, a company that co-produced <em>How Women (and Men) Invest in Startups<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/geristengel\/2025\/07\/16\/female-venture-capitalists-bet-big-on-womens-health-and-sports\/\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Geri Stengel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Left to right: Muse Capital co-founders Assia Grazioli-Venier and Rachel Springate. Muse Capital is an early-stage investor uncovering untapped potential in consumer technology that\u2019s redefining how we care, play, and live. From femtech to sports team ownership, two women venture capitalists prove that backing overlooked markets is good business. When Muse Capital co-founders Assia Grazioli-Venier<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":863092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2832,22131],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-863091","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-female","8":"category-womens"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=863091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/863092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=863091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=863091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=863091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}