Global VC Pulse

Women Shaping Venture Across Borders

Author

Content Girls Into VC
October 15, 2025

Hey everyone,

As we head deeper into fall, the energy across global venture is electric — new funds launching across continents, breakout rounds led by women-founded companies, and fresh opportunities for the next generation to step in. From Seoul to San Francisco, this week’s highlights show how women are leading the charge in innovation and capital.

🌍 Opportunities

Cohort 21 of VC University, the virtual certificate course created by Venture Forward, NVCA, and Berkeley Law Executive Education, begins February 2026! Venture Forward offers a limited number of full scholarships to aspiring and early-career VCs from underrepresented backgrounds. The scholarship covers course tuition, includes dedicated office hours, and access to a curated three-month mentorship program. Apply by Wednesday, October 15.

🚀 Map the Future: $500 Campus Innovation Challenge

We’re launching our first-ever Campus Mapping Competition in partnership with Underscore VC… and we’re putting $850 in cash prizes + automatic VC fellowship access on the line.

Your mission?

  • Build a visual + narrative map of your school’s startup and innovation ecosystem

  • Spotlight the professors who act like stealth advisors, the founders building from dorm rooms, the clubs and labs where energy gathers

You can work solo or in a team of up to 3 (must include at least one woman), and submit a 6–8 slide deck by October 18th.

🏆 Prizes:
• 1st Place — $500 + automatic acceptance into Girls Into VC Fellowship (<10% acceptance rate)
• 2nd Place — $250 + Fellowship Acceptance
• 3rd Place — $100 + Fellowship Acceptance

Top reports will be featured publicly and shared with real investors.

No VC background required — just curiosity, observation, and a fresh student perspective.

DUE October 18th at 11:59 EST

🔥 Top Global VC Deals This Week

  1. Goldman Sachs acquires Industry Ventures — ~$7B assets, move strengthens GS’s footprint in VC & secondary markets.

  2. Davidovs Venture Collective launches new $75M AI fund — They’re replacing analysts with AI agents for deal sourcing, diligence, and portfolio tasks.

  3. Artha India Ventures first close of ₹250 crore (micro-VC fund) — Focus on seed funding across AI, deep tech, fintech in India.

👩 Founder Feature

Marina Davidova — Co-Founder, Davidovs Venture Collective
Marina is leading a bold experiment: running a VC fund with minimal human analysts, instead using AI agents for much of the deal process. Her approach challenges norms around diligence and signal processing in VC.

Why it matters: As AI becomes more central in investing, founders and investors alike are watching whether this model can scale without losing judgment or nuance.

💸 Fund Highlight: Fund F (Europe)

  • Location / HQ: Vienna, Europe

  • Size & focus: Closed an €28 million fund, exceeding its initial target of €20 million. Investments are aimed at pre-seed and seed-stage startups with gender-diverse founding teams. 

  • Investment criteria: Startups must have at least one female co-founder with proportional equity; sectors include healthtech, femtech, climate tech, fintech, HR tech, etc. 

  • Highlights:

    • The European Investment Fund (EIF) is among its LPs. 

    • Write-ups suggest Fund F wants to lead rounds in ~30% of its portfolio companies. 

Why it matters: Fund F is an example of growing institutional commitment to backing female founders in Europe, with thoughtful criteria that aim for equity, stewardship, and long-term value, not just check-writing.

Venture has never been more global! As capital flows across borders, it’s the women leading funds, building companies, and changing the playbook who are defining what’s next. Here’s to finishing the year strong, together.

Until next time,
The GIVC Content Team 💗