I’ve got everyone’s back, who has mine?
I have something to say and some of you won’t like it.
The British Business Bank claims to support female entrepreneurs, yet they give their money to Venture Capitals, who do not invest in women. The facts are that female-founded businesses make up just over 32% of startups, but only get 1% of VC capital. Does that sound like support to you?
The couple that do invest in women, have questionable ethics -- is it a coincidence that the founder of their portfolio company applied for funding from our platform a week after our pitch?
We have had the tenacity and endurance over the last 4 -5 months to survive what has been a due diligence round like no other. Far more extensive than any other investor would do for seed investment...is it because we are female-founded?
My gut says it could be. Others have said it might be and I’m sick of it. 😡
Our numbers are stronger than most seed staged companies for where we are and the market opportunity is large. What’s missing? Is it really as boring as we are a female-founded business or have I just not been effective in voicing the ongoing achievements of myself and my team?
Photo by Dylan Nolte on Unsplash
Granted, I’m not one to put myself out there and I understand that people might not know who I am, so here's a bit about me, the founder.
About me personally: TLTR (too long to read): I DON’T GIVE UP
I’m a 4x Ironman competitor. I haven’t made it to the Championships in Hawaii competition yet, but there is a big chance that I'll give you a run for your money cycling up Mount Tam, though you’ll most likely beat me on the downhill part 🏊🏻♀️🚴🏻♀️🏃🏻♀️
I competed for USA Olympic Team in High School as a Black belt in TaeKwonDo and came in 4th place, 2 spots away from Olympic qualification 🥋
I have 3 brothers, so I’m used to being outnumbered
My mother was part of the rare breed of females on the front lines in Vietnam (before there were many females in service). I had a fantastic upbringing, in which I learned perseverance, tenacity, and the never-ending will to win
I didn’t take a day off when I had my son. I was happy he was delivered on a Saturday so that I could make the weekly Monday 8am call with an Australian client
I survived an unemployed ex-husband that used my hard-earned money for nefarious activities…and (the irony of equality) I had to pay him half when we divorced! You’re welcome, state of NY.
About me professionally:
My success at work was never handed to me -- I worked for it and worked hard
I went to the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at Harvard Business School which qualifies me as an Alumni. However, I didn’t “go” to HBS…. To be a part of the AMP program, you have to report to the CEO of a Fortune 100 company and be on the path to “C” level or already there. I was one of the youngest in the program and found it completely inspiring, which is why I then continued my part-time MBA at Oxford
I have always executed to the highest of standards and returned more profit to my investors than they’ve expected, always outperforming the market…
I managed a business through a pandemic and came out a stronger business
...impressed? I didn’t do it for you.
Don’t tell me this isn’t a passionate founder 👇
I spun out of Fortress Investment Group (1 of 2 female MDs out of 1,000+ employees) to launch D2 Alternative Investments which:
Managed $2bn for one of the largest pensions globally (will be public very soon)
Made over half a BILLION for them in a 2 year period, far exceeded expectations
Made a 17% realised return for an Australian insurance company
Testified for the FCA in their largest case ever...while 9 months pregnant
Deep down, I knew I wanted to make a bigger impact. My frustrations around cash management and passion for doing the right things for disadvantaged business owners is the reason I started Muse. It’s the third business I’ve started and is based solely on my frustrations with cash management as a business owner and not getting the right transparency from finance providers.
Despite the headlines around investment into female-founded businesses by VCs, I have still invested in myself and in the incredible team around me.
Now, on to Muse today…
Since January, Muse has been doubling revenues month over month. This month we look to almost triple last month’s revenues and potentially breakthrough pre-COVID revenues with a stronger and more diversified book of business.
THIS is why I love finance-- “the numbers don’t lie” and I always outperform.
We are an incredible team of hustlers with an MVP that could use a bit of a shine. But despite the wrinkles, we onboarded 3 new clients in one day last Friday and have consistently been able to go from meeting a new client to funds deployed within 24 hours.
Now is the time to invest in us and in what we can do for SMEs globally. SMEs are in need of $5 trillion globally to help stabilise and grow their businesses. The opportunity is large and SMEs need sustainable cash management NOW more than ever.
We are set in a market that is taking off and moving quickly. With your help, we can become a unicorn 5 times over in the next 5 years.
We went into a pandemic and survived. We have faced many challenges and continue to be challenged.
Muse is a team of fighters. We will not give up.
Are you ready to join us? 🚀
What's that? You need a pen to sign with?
🖋
Ann Marie Juliano, Founder.
