How Salma and Kate are Reclaiming Finance for Female Founders

Episode 8 of Founder Files features Cypher Founder and CEO Salma Hatim sitting down with LatelyAI Co-founder and CEO Kate Bradley Chernis. These are just two women who are part of a much larger wave of successful female entrepreneurs, and their conversation sheds light on what it takes to succeed in a playing field that still isn’t level.

A Sad Reality

Even in today’s world, venture capital favors male-led startups, while female founders continue to face systemic challenges in securing funding. Despite these hurdles, women are launching businesses at unprecedented rates, with women-owned startups accounting for 49% of all new businesses in 2024, up from 29% in 2019. Yet, female-only founding teams received just 2.3% of global venture capital funding in 2024.

This disparity illustrates how female founders like Salma and Kate have strategically maneuvered around systemic funding inequalities — not by waiting for permission — but by mastering the levers of their own growth through savvy capital allocation, tech-forward operations, and relentless execution.

The Funding Gap is a Persistent Challenge

Despite the growing number of women-led startups, the imbalance in venture capital allocation remains stark. All-male founding teams received 83.6% of global VC funding in 2024, a signal that bias over merit is still driving decisions. 

This imbalance is not correlated whatsoever to performance: studies show that female-led firms outperform their male counterparts. Research indicates that female-led tech teams generate 35% higher return on investment, and female-founded firms backed by VC firm First Round Capital, for example, performed 63% better than their male counterparts.

Strategic Finance as a Tool for Empowerment

Salma and Kate built and scaled companies on their own terms, exercising sharp, unapologetic decision-making and a deep understanding of how to fund and lead their companies. Despite structural barriers baked into the funding ecosystem, they’ve carved out enduring growth paths with operational efficiency and financial independence.

As Kate bluntly put it after confronting a rude and dismissive male investor: 

“You can be helpful by never ever doing this to another entrepreneur again.” 

This defiant mindset defines the way both founders approach business.

LatelyAI turns proprietary AI into performance-driven content by tracking what actually works without guesswork and gimmicks.

Cypher was built to give other founders leverage: outsourced finance operations, fractional CFO support, and cash flow visibility without the burden of full-time hiring. 

Together, Salma and Kate embody what happens when female founders control the financial narrative by leading with conviction and sharp execution.

In an environment where female entrepreneurs face unyielding challenges, strategic financial management serves as a form of empowerment. By mastering financial strategies and partnering with financial experts, women can navigate biases, build sustainable businesses, and drive economic growth, hopefully shaping a more equitable entrepreneurial landscape.