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MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

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Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

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Ray Dalio says the U.S. just had its 'Suez moment'—and history says what comes next could end an empire

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Ray Dalio says the U.S. just had its 'Suez moment'—and history says what comes next could end an empire
NewslettersMPW Daily

How founders can tap women investors as a competitive advantage in 2026

Emma Hinchliffe
By
Emma Hinchliffe
Emma Hinchliffe
Most Powerful Women Editor
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Emma Hinchliffe
By
Emma Hinchliffe
Emma Hinchliffe
Most Powerful Women Editor
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February 12, 2026, 11:28 AM ET
Women are ready and willing to invest in private markets.
Women are ready and willing to invest in private markets. Getty Images
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In 2026, women are investing their money—here’s how.

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A new survey from How Women Invest polls 315 respondents based in the U.S. Amid an uncertain economy and a market where access to capital can be difficult for founders and VCs, this survey attempts to understand whether women investors are pulling back or not. The women surveyed are already investing in private markets, but are mostly not full-time VCs or LPs looking for a return on millions in capital; they’re writing their first checks as angels or otherwise dipping their toes into the water.

So this year, 67% of respondents say they plan to invest between $25,000 and $49,000 in venture opportunities; that’s also their comfortable check size. Twenty-two percent say they plan to invest $50,000 to $99,000 this year in private markets. Twenty-seven percent of women say they’ve made only one or two private investments so far.

Seventy-seven percent still say they want to invest with a values-based lens, and 58% with a gender lens.

Among this cohort of new investors, 27% allocate only 1-5% of their portfolios to private markets. Sixty-three percent say they seek guidance or fully rely on advisors when writing these kinds of checks.

How Women Invest argues that these stats show women are ready and willing to invest in startups and funds; they just need “credible on-ramps into private markets.” The founders and fund managers who can bridge that gap will have access to a growing source of capital—one that can be transformative on an individual level, even if it’s not the billion-dollar rounds that make headlines.

Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com

The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Subscribe here.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

Sanofi ousted its CEO after a stalled turnaround effort. And his replacement is Belén Garijo, the head of German drugmaker Merck KGaA. In her role at Merck, Garijo was No. 39 on the Fortune Most Powerful Women list last year. Sanofi is No. 70 on the Fortune 500 Europe to Merck's No. 192. 

Epstein fallout continues at Wasserman. Following Chappell Roan's exit, soccer star Abby Wambach has now left the talent agency over founder Casey Wasserman's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Wambach's departure takes the exodus from music to the sports side of the house; she's the first athlete to leave in protest. Wambach said that Wasserman "should leave, so more people like me don’t have to." Guardian

Glossier enters reset mode. New CEO Colin Walsh laid off a third of the workforce yesterday at the beauty brand founded by Emily Weiss. Puck

Sixty-six percent of American women say the U.S. is on the wrong track for cost of living. And 82% of those respondents to that survey blame the Trump administration. 

ON MY RADAR

The women holding Minneapolis together Glamour

Is Jennifer Siebel Newsom the most underestimated woman in American politics? Marie Claire

The mayor's mother: What Mira Nair taught Zohran Mamdani Vulture

PARTING WORDS

"We, as women’s basketball players, have been the first to do a lot of things for women in team sports. There’s so much history to consider, and I want to be a responsible steward. We are the blueprint in a lot of ways." 

—Nneka Ogwumike, president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, who is guiding her fellow athletes through complex contract negotiations

This is the web version of MPW Daily, a daily newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women. Sign up to get it delivered free to your inbox.
About the Author
Emma Hinchliffe
By Emma HinchliffeMost Powerful Women Editor
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Emma Hinchliffe is Fortune’s Most Powerful Women editor, overseeing editorial for the longstanding franchise. As a senior writer at Fortune, Emma has covered women in business and gender-lens news across business, politics, and culture. She is the lead author of the Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter (formerly the Broadsheet), Fortune’s daily missive for and about the women leading the business world.

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