What do you think?
Rate this book
Launching While Female: Smashing the System That Holds Women Entrepreneurs Back
An exposé of the gender gap in entrepreneurship and a road map for a more inclusive and economically successful future for us all
Journalist and professor Susanne Althoff investigates the obstacles women and nonbinary entrepreneurs--especially those of color--face when launching, funding, and growing their companies, obstacles that persist because the current start-up world was engineered by and for white men. Through interviews with over a hundred founders across the country and in all industries, Althoff paints a picture of an entrepreneurial system rife with bias and discrimination, where women receive less than 3 percent of this country's venture capital, struggle to find mentors in the wake of #MeToo, and are dismissed as "mompreneurs."
The effects of this unequal system--a weaker economy, fewer jobs, less innovation--are felt by all of us, and Althoff explains how more equitable structures in business and entrepreneurship will benefit all people, not just those hoping to fund a startup.
By exploring some of the practical ways we can open the entrepreneurial system to everyone, Althoff provides a rallying cry and a way forward for women entrepreneurs and their allies, showing that change is urgent and within our reach.
Journalist and professor Susanne Althoff investigates the obstacles women and nonbinary entrepreneurs--especially those of color--face when launching, funding, and growing their companies, obstacles that persist because the current start-up world was engineered by and for white men. Through interviews with over a hundred founders across the country and in all industries, Althoff paints a picture of an entrepreneurial system rife with bias and discrimination, where women receive less than 3 percent of this country's venture capital, struggle to find mentors in the wake of #MeToo, and are dismissed as "mompreneurs."
The effects of this unequal system--a weaker economy, fewer jobs, less innovation--are felt by all of us, and Althoff explains how more equitable structures in business and entrepreneurship will benefit all people, not just those hoping to fund a startup.
By exploring some of the practical ways we can open the entrepreneurial system to everyone, Althoff provides a rallying cry and a way forward for women entrepreneurs and their allies, showing that change is urgent and within our reach.
200 pages, Hardcover
Published October 27, 2020
4 people are currently reading
721 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 12, 2020
I found myself getting a bit fired up when hearing (listened to the audiobook) about all the statistics that prove women are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to entrepreneurship. I liked how this book encourages women to get out there and start their own business because more women entrepreneurs are needed.
December 24, 2020
I wish i had read this book at the begenning of my journey. It's so true. I wish we had more data on female and gender creative Canadian to back up some of the experience that i saw and lived.
November 29, 2020
"Launching While Female" is a wonderfully reported, compelling, eye-opening, important new book. There were parts of this book that made me furious (less than 3 percent of all venture capital goes to women and nonbinary entrepreneurs?!). But there is also a lot of hope--actionable hope--in the book, and what I learned is already changing my purchasing habits (Buy from a Black Woman
is an amazing resource, for starters). I really admire the way Althoff brings together anecdotes with research and even history. Her approach made for a satisfying read that taught me about the road to this current moment, as well as the current moment itself.
is an amazing resource, for starters). I really admire the way Althoff brings together anecdotes with research and even history. Her approach made for a satisfying read that taught me about the road to this current moment, as well as the current moment itself.
November 28, 2020
This is an excellent book that will appeal to both business and lay people alike. It's gracefully written, accessible, and well-researched in depicting the challenges faced by women and nonbinary entrepreneurs (in particular those of color) when they set out to launch their own companies. Althoff does a tremendous job of illustrating how a more equitable entrepreneurial system would benefit not only those operating directly inside that system, but society at large. Highly recommend.
December 31, 2020
(3.5 / 5 stars) Tl;dr - This is a great book but just not what I wanted it to be.
Everything about this book, from the cover to the title to even the subtitle, led me to believe this would be an actionable guidebook for aspiring and active women entrepreneurs. That was simply not the case. Susanne Althoff is a journalist, and that talent for interviewing, researching, and telling people’s stories is shining through in this book. But that’s what most of the book was: telling.
I didn’t quite understand what the endgame was. It’s a terrific long-form piece of journalism on the gender gap in entrepreneurship. But if the people picking up this book are likely already understanding of, empathetic to, or directly affected by this discrimination, what is this book trying to DO for its readers? I kept turning the page, hoping for a solution, call-to-action, or rallying cry by the end.
At times, however, we move so quickly from story to story, it’s as if we are a stone skipping across the surface of the much deeper truth to the evolution of women entrepreneurship. Even in the final chapter, which does highlight resources, potential solutions, and feasible improvements for gender equity in the entrepreneurial space, we spend more time discussing WHAT could make entrepreneurship for U.S. women better, rather than HOW readers should take action.
I’d like to reiterate: This is an excellent book. It is well-researched and well-written. The organization of stories and topics flow well from chapter to chapter. And you’d be hard-pressed to find less than three female founders or resources you’ll be Googling when you put the book down. If anything, this book has served as a guide to women entrepreneur role models, prominently featuring the women who made it despite the hurdles they faced.
However, I came away with a lot of information and not a lot of guidance on what to DO with that information other than digest it. So I suggest you bear that in mind before you start reading! And if you’re interested in more of a how-to book for women entrepreneurs, I’d recommend “Disrupters” by Dr. Patti Fletcher.
Everything about this book, from the cover to the title to even the subtitle, led me to believe this would be an actionable guidebook for aspiring and active women entrepreneurs. That was simply not the case. Susanne Althoff is a journalist, and that talent for interviewing, researching, and telling people’s stories is shining through in this book. But that’s what most of the book was: telling.
I didn’t quite understand what the endgame was. It’s a terrific long-form piece of journalism on the gender gap in entrepreneurship. But if the people picking up this book are likely already understanding of, empathetic to, or directly affected by this discrimination, what is this book trying to DO for its readers? I kept turning the page, hoping for a solution, call-to-action, or rallying cry by the end.
At times, however, we move so quickly from story to story, it’s as if we are a stone skipping across the surface of the much deeper truth to the evolution of women entrepreneurship. Even in the final chapter, which does highlight resources, potential solutions, and feasible improvements for gender equity in the entrepreneurial space, we spend more time discussing WHAT could make entrepreneurship for U.S. women better, rather than HOW readers should take action.
I’d like to reiterate: This is an excellent book. It is well-researched and well-written. The organization of stories and topics flow well from chapter to chapter. And you’d be hard-pressed to find less than three female founders or resources you’ll be Googling when you put the book down. If anything, this book has served as a guide to women entrepreneur role models, prominently featuring the women who made it despite the hurdles they faced.
However, I came away with a lot of information and not a lot of guidance on what to DO with that information other than digest it. So I suggest you bear that in mind before you start reading! And if you’re interested in more of a how-to book for women entrepreneurs, I’d recommend “Disrupters” by Dr. Patti Fletcher.
January 26, 2021
Disclaimer: I won this book.
Launching While Female made me extremely angry. It was necessary. This is an important book with lots and lots of important information. Every woman in business should read this book, every woman in general should read this book. Every man should read this book as well but that's probably not gonna happen. I recommend this book when you need a fire lit in your belly, and definitely if you want to start a business.
Launching While Female made me extremely angry. It was necessary. This is an important book with lots and lots of important information. Every woman in business should read this book, every woman in general should read this book. Every man should read this book as well but that's probably not gonna happen. I recommend this book when you need a fire lit in your belly, and definitely if you want to start a business.
December 19, 2022
Perhaps a useful book to raise awareness of the issues, but not particularly helpful as a read- an almost entirely depressing book about female entrepreneurs and this weird world we find ourselves in. I guess it's good to know what's out there, but also a bit discouraging? The title is a bit misleading- while there are some stories of people doing alternate things, there isn't a whole lot about how to smash the system
June 28, 2022
Big recommend, but you can’t have my copy. I’m keeping this one with me.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews