WOELF

WOELF

Women-Owned Enterprises Loan Fund

The right capital

at the right time

for Women, by Women...

What is the WOELF fund?

The fund invites women entrepreneurs excluded from traditional financing by providing fair, SDG-focused loans, boosting economic participation for women-owned SMEs in Australia.

It also engages women as investors, creating an inclusive ecosystem where women drive and benefit from sustainable growth, fostering a self-sustaining cycle of empowerment and impact.

The Challenges

Inequitable Access to Finance: Women* often face difficulty of access to finance and then only on high-interest terms.

Gender Bias in Funding: Women founders receive significantly less startup funding.

Perception of High Risk: Women-owned enterprises are seen as high-risk despite higher returns.

Scaling Preferences: Many women prefer sustainable business growth over high returns.

Ownership and Legacy Goals: Many women aim to retain ownership and create family legacies.

Impact on Fundraising Ability: Gender negatively affects women's ability to raise capital.

Economic Inefficiencies: Current practices limit the economic potential of women-owned businesses.

* Note: Women includes all people identifying as women & non binary folk

The Opportunities

Equitable Access to Capital: Provides fair financing options for women-owned enterprises.

Supporting Sustainable Growth: Helps women scale their businesses at a sustainable pace.

Enhancing Ownership and Legacy: Enables women to retain ownership and build family legacies.

Boosting Economic Impact: Increases economic activity, job creation, and social outcomes

Boosting communities: helping families and communities locally by procuring and spending

Promoting Innovation: Encourages innovation and higher returns in women-owned businesses.

Creating Family-Friendly Workplaces: Supports businesses that employ locally and foster family-friendly environments.

Empowering Women Investors: Offers women the chance to invest in and support other women entrepreneurs.

What we need

More women funders
More women & non-binary founders working on the Worlds To-Do List (SDGS)
Networks & referrers
Operating capital

The Vision

An initial MVP: $2 M loan fund.

The terms:

25k-100k loans
3 year max terms
8% interest
simple documentation

All loans based on relationships & trust

The WOELF pack

Mary-Anne Anderson

WOELF Co-Chair.

Lifetime Coralus Activator, portfolio of 20 women owned business loans

Lisa Siganto

WOELF Co-Chair.

Impact investor with a portfolio of investments into women founders through equity and loans.

Monica Bradley

Board Chair specialising in impact and transition companies led by women

Cathy Hunt AM

Julie Trell

Former Coralus country lead in US and Australia, previous MD of Telstra's startup accelerator, and a mentor/coach for women founders, currently Chief Play Officer at Playful Purpose

Christine Williams

Coralus Activator since its inception in 2018 and early investor in a Woman-owned

enterprise aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Carol Vale

A proud Dunghutti woman & founder and CEO of Murawin, a national Indigenous consultancy focused on breaking the cycles of disadvantage and improving opportunities for indigenous Australians.

WOELF fund was founded in 2023.|

We are a group of women based in Australia investing in women. We provide loans to women founders through individual loans of

$5,000 upwards to $25,000

We are activators with Coralus

Coralus is a community of change-makers working on initiatives, projects and businesses making transformational impact. We gather like-hearted people practicing radical generosity in order to create a world that has humans thriving.

Connector, producer, and investor in the development of women led enterprises through design of financial products (QuickstART), WOW Women of the world movement, Women and Change, Coralus & personal investing

info@woelf.org.au