SheEO's Automation Journey: Building a $1 Billion Fund for Women Entrepreneurs

SheEO is a global community founded by Vicki Saunders, a successful serial entrepreneur. The organization's mission is to build a $1 billion fund to support women entrepreneurs, countering the biases against women in traditional venture systems. SheEO's unique model involves a community of funders, or 'Activators', who provide financial support, expertise, network, and ongoing support to the women-led businesses. The businesses supported by SheEO are diverse, ranging from sustainable agriculture to mobility solutions. The only common factor is that they are led and backed by women and aim to create new models, mindsets, and solutions that benefit humanity.

SheEO, a global community aimed at building a $1 billion fund to support women entrepreneurs, faced significant operational challenges. The organization, founded by Vicki Saunders, was designed to counter the biases against women in venture systems, where women receive only 2.2% of available funding. SheEO's unique model involves a community of funders, or 'Activators', who not only provide financial support but also offer their expertise, network, and ongoing support to the women-led businesses. However, managing this complex community and the associated processes was a daunting task. The operations team had to ensure flawless data entry and process management, as any mistake could lead to deserving women founders not getting the necessary funds. The team was using over 30 different software solutions, which often didn't fit their unique way of working, leading to a lot of manual work.

To streamline their operations and reduce manual work, SheEO turned to automation. They used Zapier, a tool that allows different apps to communicate with each other, to automate various processes. For instance, when a new person joined their community, there were several tasks that needed to be performed across their software suite. Automating this process saved the SheEO team dozens of hours each week, allowing them to focus on higher-value projects. Beyond just streamlining existing processes, SheEO also used automation to create new possibilities. When their application platform failed on the first day of voting, they built a new voting platform using Google Forms/Sheets and Zapier in just 36 hours. They now have an 82-step Zap that connects seven different software solutions, triggered by payments coming into Stripe and connected to different apps based on various factors.

• The use of automation has significantly improved SheEO's operational efficiency and effectiveness. It has not only streamlined their existing processes but also enabled them to create new possibilities. The time saved through automation has allowed the team to focus on higher-value projects, build relationships, and offer more programming to their community. They have been able to personalize and customize more of their interactions. Moreover, the flexibility offered by using different services and connecting them through Zapier has allowed SheEO to iterate and experiment, aligning their processes with the evolving needs of their community. The automation has also helped them overcome unexpected challenges, such as the failure of their application platform, demonstrating its role in enhancing SheEO's resilience.

• By the end of 2020, SheEO had funded nearly 100 Ventures led and majority-owned by women-identified and non-binary entrepreneurs.

• Automation saved the SheEO team dozens of hours each week.

• SheEO built a new voting platform using Google Forms/Sheets and Zapier in just 36 hours.