Women entrepreneurs are a force to be reckoned with, especially here in the Palmetto State. With over 170,000 women-owned businesses across the state, South Carolina ranks fourth in the nation for women-owned businesses (Greenville Business Magazine 2020). Nationally, women own 42% of all US businesses - that’s 13 Million women business owners - and together we employ over 9.4 Million Americans (National Women’s Business Council Annual Reports 2020, 2019). Women’s top three motivations for starting a business are pursuing our passions, securing financial independence and increasing flexibility (Score: State of U.S. Women’s Entrepreneurship). Despite the fact that women owned businesses produce 10% more income than their male counterparts in a 5 year period, women founded startups receive less than half of the funding men receive (Boston Consulting Group: Why Women-Owned Start Ups are a Better Bet). 73% of women shared that they experienced difficulty obtaining funding (VISA: State of Female Entrepreneurship 2019) and only 32% of women are approved for funds (Zippia: 37 Encouraging Women-Owned Business and Entrepreneurship Statistics). Women are still discriminated against when securing funding to start their business. And let’s face it, you need money to make money. That’s why I’ve started Invest In Her: a virtual grant competition for South Carolina based female entrepreneurs, funded and judged by a board of female entrepreneurs or “Investhers.”