The 2X Global Summit delivered a powerful message: women aren’t just participants in the global economy — they’re driving its resilience and transformation. As a partner at an early growth investment firm committed to gender-lens investing, I returned from the summit with renewed conviction about both the opportunity and imperative to back women-led ventures. Here are a few of my key takeaways and reflections on how impact investors like Goodwell can shape an investment space that better supports businesses with female leaders.  

The numbers are compelling  

The summit opened with remarkable achievements that validate a gender-lens investment approach. Since 2018, the 2X initiative has mobilised USD 34 billion USD for gender-inclusive investing, demonstrating that capital markets are ready to move beyond good intentions to measurable impact. In Asia alone, 14.3 million women-owned businesses now receive institutional support, while 20 private equity fund cooperatives are actively deploying capital across the region.   

Perhaps most compelling for investors is the fact that women-led and founded businesses deliver 22% better performance than their male-led counterparts. This is about a female-led next generation of businesses that thrive through diversity and inclusion. (For more inspiration about the potential of gender-lens investing, read the latest report from the Criterion Institute.) 

Resilience matters in today’s market 

Under this year’s 2X Global summit theme “Women Driving Resilience,” participants explored how women’s adaptability is a competitive advantage in volatile markets. The insights resonate deeply with Goodwell’s investment approach, which is rooted in putting patient capital to work and supporting inclusive businesses throughout their rocky early growth stages. Women entrepreneurs also consistently demonstrate superior resource management, a critical skill in capital-efficient growth. As one speaker noted, “Women do a better job of managing scarcity of resources—this is what matters in investments.” 

The world is dealing with many unprecedented challenges simultaneously, including everything from climate disruption and geopolitical shifts to technological transformation, which is often described as a polycrisis. The summit highlighted how women entrepreneurs naturally integrate multiple impact areas — gender, climate, technology — into their work, creating businesses that address interconnected challenges rather than isolated problems. Several 2X Global speakers and panelists showed that female leaders demonstrate remarkable ability to adapt strategies while maintaining operational integrity. In the case of women-led businesses, this underpins the core meaning of resilience: the ability to come out stronger.    

Evolution: from margin to mainstream 

While women-led startups still receive only 2.3% of venture capital funding, institutional momentum is building. The summit revealed encouraging trends, such as:

• Female representation in startup ecosystems grew from 14% to 33% between 2020 and 2024 

• Institutional LPs increasingly mandate gender and diversity policies 

• USD 124 trillion wealth transfer moving to younger generations signals massive capital reallocation that could empower women-led business significantly 

The trends present early-growth funders a clear opportunity to get first-mover advantage. Early adoption of gender lens criteria can provide access to high-quality deal flow before markets mature. 

Building the foundation 

Goodwell funds focus on inclusive businesses on the African continent, hence, our antenna is likely more sensitive to insights related to this developing market. One of the summit’s most actionable insights relates to foundational infrastructure for women entrepreneurs.   

In developing markets, 50% of working-age women are entrepreneurs or aspire to be, yet lack basic business infrastructure, such as formal business records, transparent finances, access to finance, lack of market visibility. However, despite the obvious challenges, these predominantly small businesses are thriving in their local communities because the products and services they provide are in great demand. The infrastructure gaps they face present clear investment opportunities, especially when combined with technical assistance to build a digital backbone for financial accounting, formalising business records, increasing market visibility, and providing women entrepreneurs the crucial access to growth capital.   

That’s why we are pleased to partner with Investing in Young Businesses in Africa: Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (IYBA WE4A), led by GIZ, to introduce a new technical assistance and investment initiative for women entrepreneurs who are driving climate transformation. We are currently seeking innovative small- and medium-sized businesses in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique that demonstrate unique, high-potential solutions in climate aligned sectors. Interested parties can visit our website to learn more about the programme and how to apply.  

Climate integration 

The summit’s climate-focused sessions reinforced our conviction that gender and climate investing are naturally synergistic. A case in point was Clime Capital’s oversubscribed USD 175 million fund, demonstrating market appetite for integrated approaches. One key insight for climate investing is that women comprise the largest group in agriculture, fishing, and food systems globally, with 66% of women entrepreneurs working in food-related systems. This makes women entrepreneurs the natural partners for climate solutions.  

Systemic change needs collaborative capital 

Perhaps the strongest message at 2X Global summit was about collaboration. From fund structures accommodating both philanthropic and institutional capital to cross-border partnerships scaling successful models, the most impactful investments require ecosystem approaches. 

At Goodwell, we could not agree more: Collaboration has been at the core of our business model from day one. Individual success is impossible without collective action. And it only works, especially if we want to create inclusive economies, when all actors are willing to share their insights, contribute what they are best at, and appreciate that the wisdom and energy of the crowd is always more than the sum of all parts. Or, as we expressed with the uMunthu, the name of our latest funds, which means “I am because we are”. 

Next steps on the journey  

Looking forward, the opportunities are plentiful. Gender-lens investing is still in its early days. While USD 34 billion mobilised represents significant progress, every expert consistently emphasised we’re “far from even halfway” in addressing the opportunity. For early-growth capital, this represents a generational opportunity to contribute to building strong and resilient companies that deliver high impact and superior financial returns. Investors can spearhead the movement that is desperately needed to anchor systemic change.  

The facts are clear and convincing: women-led businesses are resilient and a cornerstone of inclusive economies in developing markets across Africa and Asia. For those who still doubt the rise of gender-lens investing, the 2X Global summit confirmed it’s not whether gender-lens investing will become mainstream—it’s whether today’s investors will position themselves as leaders in this transformation. 

As we continue building our portfolio of resilient and increasingly, women-led businesses, we look forward to sharing insights and opportunities for collaboration with fellow investors. The future of impact investing is about backing the entrepreneurs who are building more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient inclusive ecosystems. If you’re interested in starting a conversation, please reach out to contact@goodwell.nl.