Symposium Briefing: Investing in the Women’s Sports Economy

Sunday March 8th was International Women’s Day, an annual celebration of the achievements of women and also a call to action to do more to advance gender equality across the globe. In the lead up to International Women’s Day, Veris was honored to sponsor the Investing in Women in Sports Symposium, a powerhouse event curated by Tuti Scott (Changemaker Strategies) and hosted by Julie Castro Abrams (How Women Invest)

The energy in the room was incredible! There were many important insights by Symposium speakers, and we wanted to share a few of the key takeaways we heard for those who fully support this work but could not be there in person.

Five Key Insights

1. Women’s sports is not a cause.

The main message we heard echoed across the Symposium was that women’s sports is not a “cause,” it is a high-growth asset class and a vital leadership pipeline.

Symposium speakers Danette Leighton (Women’s Sports Foundation) and Lorine Pendleton (125 Ventures) framed women’s sports as a “40-year startup” and one of the most undervalued sectors in the global economy.

2. Women’s gear presents a big opportunity for investors.

Fielding Jamieson and Ami Galani (Tipt Ventures) identified a $4B opportunity in sports merchandise specifically designed for women—moving beyond “pinking and shrinking” to drive real performance.

3. Women’s sports venues emerge as high-demand business models.

Dedicated physical spaces for women’s sports, like The Sports Bra and Watch Me! Sports Bar are not only community hubs, but high-demand business models, as highlighted by Jenny Nguyen and Jax Diener.

4.  Stories of women athletes build fans and need funding.

Carol Stiff (Women’s Sports Network) shared the power of the female athlete stories bringing more fans to the game and building the athlete’s brand with followers. More advertisers and sponsors need to step up and fund shows, podcasts, and digital opportunities to engage with the athletes.

5. Role models are needed to encourage the next generation of athletes and leaders.  

Daycia McClam (Positive Coaching Alliance) and Kassandra Ramsey (The Drake Group) emphasized the urgent need for women to step into coaching roles at every level of sports and to be visible in other adjacent sports roles (agents, marketers, compliance officers, etc) so the next generation can “see it to be it”.

A Call to Action 

The Veris Team wants to thank Tuti Scott, Julie Castro Abrams, How Women Invest, Aury Cifuentes, and everyone who produced and participated in the Investing in Women’s Sports Symposium. We were honored to be a part of it and look forward to continuing this conversation and helping advance this work in the future. We’ll leave you with Tuti Scott’s call to action: Change the Game. Fund the future.