Kathy Matsui: 'Seed Valuation of Female-Founded Startups is Less Than Half of Males, But 1.5x at IPO' - Speaking at T4IS2026

At the Tech for Impact Summit 2026, Kathy Matsui, General Partner at MPower Partners, highlighted a significant structural mispricing in venture capital: female-founded startups receive less than half the seed valuation of their male counterparts, yet achieve 1.5 times the valuation at IPO. Matsui argued that investing in female founders is not just an equality issue but a highly rational investment logic. She also strongly advocated for quota systems to accelerate gender parity in Japanese politics and leadership, noting that waiting without quotas could take 100-150 years. Additionally, she introduced the W-Power Fund targeting early-stage female founders and noted the continued growth of global ESG assets despite US pushback.