The Male vs. Female Pitch

The Hotpot | April 2026 | By Lisanne

17.4

There is often a silent disconnect in the rooms where deals are made:

Men tend to pitch around profitability.
Women tend to pitch around purpose.

One speaks the language of the bank; the other speaks the language of the soul.

But here is something profound; investors are looking for a path to return.

While purpose is the “why” that gets us out of bed, profitability is the “how” that keeps us in the game.

Right now, only 2% of all VC funding goes to companies founded exclusively by women, according to Pitchbook data.

Part of that gap is about how investors listen.
Another part of it is what they are trained to recognise, or what they are used to funding.
And part of it is how women show up in those rooms.

Pitch a better world.
But also pitch a business so solid, so scalable, and so profitable… that the better world becomes inevitable.

If you lead with meaning, impact, and purpose—that’s wonderful, as long as there is a profitable company to support it.

​

Thank you for reading! The question of today:

Is your purpose clear—and is your path to profit just as clear?