SoGal Ventures, a pioneering force in the world of venture capital, has been making waves with its portfolio of diverse-led startups. Founder Pocket Sun is a starring cast member of the documentary Show Her the Money, showcasing the impacts women are making in the venture capital industry.
In a traditionally male-dominated industry, venture capital is seeing more women enter and being successful. In a new era of investing, Sun reveals her experiences working in venture capital in the documentary.
Empowering women in venture capital
Sun started SoGal Ventures as a student at the University of Southern California when she was 24 years old. Since Sun moved to North America for her studies, she has rarely returned to China, where she grew up, since she was 18. For Sun, she says “being an immigrant, being an international student is kind of like being an entrepreneur. You’re creating a new future, a new life and having lived in many different cultures and countries, it really adds to who I am, and is reflected in how we invest.”
With a keen intuition guiding her decisions, Sun has made her mark in the male-dominated VC industry. Among its notable ventures are Myya, Archer Roose, and indie wild. Archer Rooses’ founder Marian Leitner shares, “Pocket and Elizabeth [co-founder] from the get go have really worked hard to create support systems for their portfolio companies.” In an industry where women aren’t well represented, Sun and SoGal Ventures are changing that narrative with their diverse investment strategy and by championing women-owned businesses.
Sun and SoGal Ventures’ successes
The power of women in business is undeniable, as evidenced by the remarkable achievements of ventures like SoGal Ventures. They have invested in five unicorn status businesses (valued more than $1 billion) and their success rate of women founders has a graduation rate of 80-90%—both surpassing industry norms. Women are resilient and resourceful, and like SoGal Ventures founders, they are “antifragile” as Sun describes.
Sun notes that she faced initial skepticism from some traditional venture capitalists who couldn’t grasp the potential of the women’s market and a younger demographic. “Some of the white male VCs who turned us down are no longer in business. We have outgrown them. Our fund 1 investors are very happy… Over 50 of them are back for round two,” Sun shares.
Through Show Her The Money, Sun and SoGal Ventures are innovating the venture capital landscape proving that there is great potential for women-owned and led businesses.
Find a screening for Show Her The Money near you today.
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