How AI is Revolutionising Startups & Why Female Founders Get Just 2% of Funding
This week on Raise Your Visibility Online, host Louise Brogan sits down with Laura Meyer, former CIO at HarperCollins UK and Turner Broadcasting, now an angel investor championing female founders through Angel Academy.
After 27 years in corporate leadership, Laura made the leap to angel investing and hasn't looked back. In this fascinating conversation, she shares why AI might be the great equaliser for entrepreneurs, how it's transforming business at unprecedented speed, and what founders really need to know before seeking investment.
This episode is essential listening if you're:
- Considering starting your own business
- Wondering how AI will impact your career
- A female founder seeking investment guidance
- Curious about the angel investment world
- Concerned about the future of work
🎧 Episode Highlights
The Shocking Funding Gap
Only 2% of venture capital funding goes to all-female founded companies, whilst approximately 80% goes to all-male teams. Laura explains why this disparity persists and how organisations like Angel Academy are working to change it.
AI: The Game-Changer for Startups
"Previously you might have needed a bookkeeper, someone to help with marketing, someone to write posts. Now you can do a lot of that through AI tools. The entry level for cost has come down, making it more accessible for more people—and more women."
The 47% Benchmark That Changes Everything
Recent research (GDP Value project) found that AI output was valued at 47%—meaning AI outperformed human experts nearly half the time. And that's right now. Laura asks: "Imagine what it's going to be in another three months, another six months?"
From Five Days to 30 Minutes
Laura shares real examples of deep research projects that would normally take five days and require hiring a contractor, now being completed in 30 minutes with well-crafted AI prompts—at PhD level quality.
The One Question Every Founder Must Answer
"What problem am I solving and will people PAY for it? Because if they're not, there's no point."
🔑 Key Takeaways
On Starting a Business:
- Bootstrap first—test your idea as a side hustle before leaving your job
- Question rigorously whether people will actually pay for your solution
- Team matters as much as the idea when seeking investment
- If bootstrapping doesn't work, you can pivot or try again with minimal loss
On AI Transformation:
- AI is replacing Google for information searches
- It will evolve into a complete operating system integrated with everything
- "Work slop" (unedited AI outputs) is creating new corporate problems
- The responsibility to upskill lies with each individual
- Free resources exist (OpenAI Academy) for learning
- Companies must treat AI as a fundamental change management project
On Angel Investment:
- Investment isn't the right path for every business
- Investors back teams, not just ideas
- Expect it to take at least 10 years for most startups
- Due diligence is rigorous—your...
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