PREV BLOG
World’s Top 10 Business Women to Watch in 2025
Publish: September 11, 2025
Author: Darlene Robertsons
At the very beginning of any entrepreneurial endeavor, before the venture capital firms queue up and customers pour in, there usually is one decisive individual: the angel investor. These high-net-worth individuals put their confidence in founders when the risk is highest, not only bringing seed money but also advising, legitimacy, and connections. Their backing brings rough outlines to life as working drafts, shaky start-ups to successful firms.
Traditionally, angel investing was the preserve of men, reflecting global wealth flows. However, over the last twenty years, more women have moved into this field in large numbers, transforming not just the investor demographics, but the character of innovation as a whole. Today, in the United States, women make up nearly half of active angels. The same is true in Europe, India, and Southeast Asia, where the number of female investors actively participating in syndicates and angel networks is on the rise.
What sets women angel investors apart is not just their numbers but their mindset. They often invest in companies addressing real-world, underserved needs, femtech, healthtech, sustainable consumption, inclusive fintech, and education platforms, domains that traditional investors used to brush off as "niche." They couple capital with lived experience, mentoring and advising founders both on business and personal grit. As they do this, they're not just investing in companies; they're broadening the scope of what is possible.
In this segment, we shine a light on ten of the globe's most powerful women angel investors. Each one has a unique story and approach, but all possess one characteristic: the audacity to believe first. Their choices reverberate across sectors, influencing the businesses and ecosystems that will shape the decade ahead.
Cyan Banister's tale goes against the Silicon Valley norm. Born into poverty and, on occasion, homelessness, she went into the tech industry as a self-taught developer. From humble beginnings, she evolved into one of the most renowned angel investors of her era.
Her record is eloquent. She was an early investor in Uber, many years before ride-hailing was seen as a viable business. She invested in Postmates when food delivery apps were still untested, and in Niantic, which popularized augmented reality via Pokémon GO. Her investments include SpaceX, Affirm, Carta, and Flexport, demonstrating her sense of category-defining businesses across industries.
Banister's philosophy is extremely human-focused. She invests in entrepreneurs she trusts, particularly those that are nontraditional or underestimated. She has frequently stated that her job is to create opportunity where others only see risk. Her ascension to being the first female investing partner at Founders Fund created a symbolic pivot in the gender imbalance of venture capital. Now, at Long Journey Ventures, she seeks to continue empowering outsiders to create world-altering businesses.
Signature Investments: Uber, Postmates, Niantic, SpaceX, Affirm, Carta, Flexport
Investment Philosophy: People-first, taking risks on untraditional founders
Role in Ecosystem: Pushed the edge of who gets funded in Silicon Valley
Esther Dyson is one of the earliest and most highly regarded women angel investors, starting out in the 1980s when women were scarce in both technology and finance. She is a journalist by training, melding analytical technique with inquisitiveness, which later set her up as a celebrated tech commentator, entrepreneur, and investor.
Her portfolio is a harbinger. She invested in Flickr, Meetup, and 23andMe, all of which created new spaces. But Dyson is not just a deal maker, she's a systems thinker. She not only considers whether a company will thrive but also how it will impact society as a whole.
That vision has steered her towards healthcare, open data, civic tech, and space exploration. Through her Wellville Project, she has spent a decade enhancing the health of communities in underserved areas, affirming her conviction that investment is not just about financial returns, it is also about sustainable social results.
Dyson remains a source of guidance for entrepreneurs, policymakers, and scholars, reminding the world of innovation that progress without ethics is empty.
Key Contributions: Pioneering angel across four decades, early backer of Flickr and 23andMe
Focus Areas: Healthcare, civic tech, ethical innovation
Global Reach: Influences both entrepreneurs and public policy circles
New York's startup ecosystem knows Joanne Wilson as the Gotham Gal, a prolific angel investor and indefatigable champion. With over 140 companies in her portfolio, Wilson has established herself as one of the most dependable early-stage supporters of new enterprises in the city.
Her enthusiasm is to support women founders. She invested in Food52, Parachute Home, Eater, Blue Bottle Coffee, and numerous other consumer and lifestyle companies. What sets Wilson apart is how she does it: she does more than write checks, advising founders on product-market fit, brand strategy, customer loyalty, and operational expansion.
Through her blog and podcast, she informs and motivates the public, opening up the world of angel investing and encouraging more women to take their seat at the investor's table. She has become both an investor and a thought leader, influencing not only companies but the discourse about inclusive entrepreneurship.
Portfolio Highlights: Food52, Eater, Parachute Home
Ecosystem Contribution: More than 140 consumer and lifestyle startup investments
Mentorship Legacy: Supports women founders, informing the future generation of investors
Having been instrumental at Facebook in its early days, Randi Zuckerberg established her own role as an entrepreneur, media figure, and angel investor. She currently works at the intersection of media, Web3, and the creator economy.
Her angel investments include Metagood, a social impact platform that combines NFTs, and Virtualness, funding digital creators. In both instances, she aims to give people the power to monetize community and creativity. With Zuckerberg Media, she expands the reach of her portfolio by creating content that informs and entertains.
Zuckerberg's strength is her storytelling ability. She knows that in the current digital economy, the power of telling a good story may be as valuable as the product itself. Startups she invests in receive not only money but also the know-how to create lasting brands.
Signature Focus: Creator economy, Web3, digital media
Unique Edge: Storytelling and brand expertise that drives adoption
Influence: Global champion of women in tech and creative economies
Activist turned entrepreneur turned investor, Shiza Shahid has built a career with purpose. She initially gained global recognition as co-founder of the Malala Fund, advocating girls' education. She has now turned to angel investing with the same mission-oriented approach.
With NOW Ventures, she invests in startups that balance profitability with purpose. She also founded Our Place, a cookware company built on cultural narrative and inclusivity that became an instant global brand.
Shahid is recognized for her values-driven strategy. She invests in businesses working on education, sustainability, and consumer issues, with the belief that business has a responsibility to fix global imbalances. Through the integration of activism and capital, she has developed a unique model of investment that resonates with social entrepreneurs and mainstream markets alike.
Impact Investments: NOW Ventures portfolio, Our Place cookware
Focus Areas: Education, sustainability, inclusive consumer brands
Role Model: Defines how activism can be a form of entrepreneurial capital
Founder of YourStory, India's top media platform for startups, Shradha Sharma has been raising the voices of entrepreneurs for years. Her platform has documented the stories of thousands of startups, bringing them into the spotlight and lending them credibility at key times.
In addition, Sharma has become an active angel investor, investing in Indian consumer tech, senior-care services, and socially impactful startups. Her strength lies in distribution: the companies she invests in not only get money but also audience exposure via YourStory.
She is widely respected as a connector and mentor, guiding young entrepreneurs through India’s complex startup landscape. Sharma exemplifies how media influence and angel investing can merge to create a powerful ecosystem effect.
Ecosystem Role: Founder of YourStory, voice for Indian entrepreneurs
Angel Focus: Purpose-driven consumer and community startups
Strength: Amplifies startups through both funding and storytelling
Ankita Vashistha is synonymous with gender-lens investing in India and Asia. She launched the SAHA Fund, India's first women-entrepreneur venture fund, and then StrongHer Ventures, an international platform for women-focused capital.
Her angel investments also include fintech, sustainability, and tech startups. Vashistha is outspoken about balancing gender disparity in entrepreneurship and advocating internationally for policies that expand access to capital for women founders.
Her work illustrates the ways that angel investing can translate into institutional-scale change. By merging personal belief with organized funds, she has opened doors for women founders at every growth stage.
Capital Innovations: SAHA Fund, StrongHer Ventures
Investment Priorities: Startups led by women, fintech, sustainability
Global Presence: Spurring gender-diverse capital flows worldwide
Dubbed the "Most Connected Woman in Silicon Valley," Ellen Levy cares less about headlines and more about impact. Her strength is her remarkable network, which she uses to drive growth for startups.
Levy has been a senior executive at LinkedIn and remains a consultant to several firms. She has been an angel investor to companies such as LendingClub and frontier tech companies, backing startups that can provide both commercial and social returns.
Founders appreciate Levy not only for her capital but for her introductions, to customers, partners, and talent, that can make or break a company in its infancy.
Portfolio Highlights: LendingClub, frontier tech startups
Core Strength: Harnessing networks to drive exponential growth
Vision: Balancing technology's promise with public good
Sonali De Rycker is a force in European venture capital and a respected angel investor. As a partner at Accel in London, she has invested in international successes such as Spotify, Monzo, and Hopin. In addition to institutional capital, she occasionally invests personally in promising early-stage companies.
Her Indo-European heritage provides her with a distinctive perspective on cross-border entrepreneurship. She is reputed to push founders to think globally from day one so that their ambitions are not limited to local markets.
De Rycker is also a vocal promoter of women in venture capital, acting as a role model in an ecosystem where women continue to be underrepresented.
Global Portfolio: Spotify, Monzo, Hopin (via Accel)
Investment Lens: Early vision for global scalability
Leadership Role: Champion of diversity in European venture capital
Singapore-based Jenny Lee is widely considered Asia's most influential woman investor. A partner at GGV Capital, she has made historic investments in Alibaba, Grab, Didi, and Xiaomi. In addition to her institutional work, she also makes direct angel bets in early-stage startups.
Lee's engineering background provides her with technical expertise, enabling her to evaluate breakthroughs in AI, fintech, and mobility with clarity. She serves as a bridge between East and West, facilitating the globalization of Asian startups and introducing international capital into Asia’s ecosystems.
Consistently ranked on Forbes' most powerful women in finance, Lee is both a strategist and a mentor to up-and-coming women investors.
Substantial Investments: Alibaba, Didi, Grab, Xiaomi
Focus Areas: AI, fintech, mobility technologies
Influence: Strengthens Asia's presence in global innovation
These ten women illustrate that angel investing is not just about financial return; it is about vision, courage, and the power to build industries from scratch. Each one brings a different strength:
Banister’s outsider empathy
Dyson’s systems thinking
Wilson’s ecosystem creation
Zuckerberg’s storytelling power
Shahid’s mission-driven capital
Sharma’s distribution advantage
Vashistha’s gender-lens approach
Levy’s network leverage
De Rycker’s cross-border vision
Lee’s Asia-first strategy
Individually, they are more than investors, they are architects of opportunity. Their fingerprints are visible on some of the most innovative companies of our era, and their mentorship is cultivating the next generation of entrepreneurs.
As the world economy navigates disruption, these women remind us that the future is created not by those who wait for certainty but by those who believe early. They are not only funding companies, they are designing the world of tomorrow.
In a world defined by bold ambition and constant reinvention, leadership is no longer bound by old playbooks, it’…
