SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwired - August 31, 2016) - On Saturday, September 17, Hera Labs and Hera Hub will host "Hera Venture Summit." Now in its third year, the one-day educational event is expected to draw more than 300 female founders and funders from the United States and Mexico. University of San Diego will serve as the backdrop for the event, which starts at 7:30 a.m. with speakers beginning at 8:30 a.m. The all-day event will end at 7:00 p.m.

The summit, which comes in advance of Women's Small Business Month in October, seeks to:

• Foster relationships among female angel investors and entrepreneurs, and form binational connections between the San Diego and Tijuana startup ecosystems

• Uncover trends and resources related to startups and investing

• Showcase products made by San Diego women

• Engage San Diego female-led startups in a gamified Shark Tank-like contest. Three female finalists will pitch to audience members who will learn how to model the behavior of an early-stage investment fund using Monopoly money to back their favorite startup.

One of San Diego's top 30 trending events on Twitter in 2015, Hera Ventura Summit 2015 resulted in angel investing deals amounting to more than $100,000. Organizers hope to increase the amount to $500,000 at this year's event.

"Women are opening more businesses than ever before, but not enough women are getting the funding they need," says Dr. Silvia Mah, founder of Hera Labs. "Our goal is to provide women, especially in the CaliBaja region, with access to educational and financial resources that will help them move forward in their businesses."

According to a recent article in Forbes, the number of female founders who sought and received funding decreased by 20 percent in 2015. Yet, according to a report by seed-stage venture firm First Round, "Companies with a female founder are 63 percent more capital efficient than investments with all-male founding teams."

Mah says female funders are the solution to this discrepancy.

"Female investors are the true unicorns of the venture world; they are identifying new markets and new products that need funding," says Mah. "Hera Venture Summit will shed light on female investors and encourage new connections between investors and startups."

Barbara Bry, startup advocate and San Diego City Council candidate, along with Michael Lawless, clinical professor of management at University of San Diego School of Business, will kick off the event.

Other speakers will include Navrina Singh, head of Qualcomm Innovation; Kim Kovacs, Golden Seeds angel investor; Trish Costello, Silicon Valley-based investor, CEO of Portfolia investing platform and co-founder of Rising Tide Fund; Lorine Pendleton, US director of business development and Pipeline Angel investor; Barbara Clarke, Founding Angel Investor Member of Astia Angels NYC; Felena Hanson, founder of Hera Hub co-working space and author of the book, Flight Club - Rebel, Reinvent, and Thrive: How to Launch Your Dream Business; and Adriana Eguia Alaniz, Director for Endeavor Mexico at Baja California.

The cost of the event is $199 for those that register by August 31. The price goes up to $219.00, then to $239.00 day-of. The event is free for students. Please register at heraventuresummit.com.

About Hera Venture Summit:

Hera Venture Summit for entrepreneurs and investors is a one-day intensive event aimed at equipping and connecting female founders and female funders. The event is presented by Hera Hub workspace for women, Hera Labs business accelerator, Hera Angels female angel group, and Hera Fund, an early-stage investment fund. For more information, visit www.heraventuresummit.com or join the conversation using hashtag #HeraVentureSummit.

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