How AI is Revolutionising Startups & Why Female Founders Get Just 2% of Funding
This week on Raise Your Visibility Online, host Louise Brogan sits down with Laura Meyer, former CIO at HarperCollins UK and Turner Broadcasting, now an angel investor championing female founders through Angel Academy.
After 27 years in corporate leadership, Laura made the leap to angel investing and hasn't looked back. In this fascinating conversation, she shares why AI might be the great equaliser for entrepreneurs, how it's transforming business at unprecedented speed, and what founders really need to know before seeking investment.
This episode is essential listening if you're:
- Considering starting your own business
- Wondering how AI will impact your career
- A female founder seeking investment guidance
- Curious about the angel investment world
- Concerned about the future of work
🎧 Episode HighlightsThe Shocking Funding Gap
Only 2% of venture capital funding goes to all-female founded companies, whilst approximately 80% goes to all-male teams. Laura explains why this disparity persists and how organisations like Angel Academy are working to change it.
AI: The Game-Changer for Startups
"Previously you might have needed a bookkeeper, someone to help with marketing, someone to write posts. Now you can do a lot of that through AI tools. The entry level for cost has come down, making it more accessible for more people—and more women."
The 47% Benchmark That Changes Everything
Recent research (GDP Value project) found that AI output was valued at 47%—meaning AI outperformed human experts nearly half the time. And that's right now. Laura asks: "Imagine what it's going to be in another three months, another six months?"
From Five Days to 30 Minutes
Laura shares real examples of deep research projects that would normally take five days and require hiring a contractor, now being completed in 30 minutes with well-crafted AI prompts—at PhD level quality.
The One Question Every Founder Must Answer
"What problem am I solving and will people PAY for it? Because if they're not, there's no point."
🔑 Key Takeaways
On Starting a Business:
- Bootstrap first—test your idea as a side hustle before leaving your job
- Question rigorously whether people will actually pay for your solution
- Team matters as much as the idea when seeking investment
- If bootstrapping doesn't work, you can pivot or try again with minimal loss
On AI Transformation:
- AI is replacing Google for information searches
- It will evolve into a complete operating system integrated with everything
- "Work slop" (unedited AI outputs) is creating new corporate problems
- The responsibility to upskill lies with each individual
- Free resources exist (OpenAI Academy) for learning
- Companies must treat AI as a fundamental change management project
On Angel Investment:
- Investment isn't the right path for every business
- Investors back teams, not just ideas
- Expect it to take at least 10 years for most startups
- Due diligence is rigorous—your competition, IP, and market will be thoroughly examined
- Angel investors only get returns if there's an exit
On the Future of Work:
- Graduate unemployment is around 30%
- Some jobs will disappear or reduce significantly
- Universal basic income is discussed but no real solutions are being proposed
- Young people need education systems that prepare them for an AI-integrated world
- Working together and learning AI as teams is crucial
💡 Practical Tips Shared
- Test your business idea: Ask people in your network if they'd actually pay for what you're proposing
- Use AI for research: Try ChatGPT or similar tools for deep research projects instead of traditional search
- Learn together: Take on AI projects as a team to upskill collectively
- Be specific with prompts: Tell AI exactly what you want, including reference types and data parameters
- Always verify AI outputs: Check facts and references—AI wants to help so much it sometimes fabricates information
- Find a co-founder: Building a business is lonely; having someone to share the journey makes it sustainable
📊 Fascinating Statistics Mentioned
- 2% of VC funding → all-female founded companies
- ~80% of VC funding → all-male teams
- 47% of AI outputs valued higher than human expert outputs (October 2024)
- 30% graduate unemployment rate
- 36 channels broadcast from Turner Broadcasting's European offices at peak
- 10 years typical timeline for startup success
🎯 Quotable Moments
On structural bias:
"If a woman is very strong in her thoughts and what she believes in, it can be seen as being very opinionated. Whereas a man can be seen as having great leadership skills."
On AI speed:
"Something that wasn't possible a month ago is possible now. The speed of it—I've never seen, I don't think anybody's seen transformation like it."
On resilience:
"Look, it's fine to have competition. But you've got to think: can somebody bigger come in and say, 'I like what they're doing, I'm just going to do it as well?' And then your business is gone."
On upskilling:
"The responsibility is yours to learn it and upskill yourself. There's loads of free courses out there that people can access."
🔗 Resources & Links
Angel Academy
Founded by Sarah Turner over a decade ago
Focus: Supporting female founders with investment and expertise
Connect: Search for Angel Academy on LinkedIn
OpenAI Academy
Free courses on AI, prompting, and practical applications
Available for individuals, charities, and organisations
Laura Meyer
Connect on LinkedIn: Laura Meyer
Angel investor focused on female-founded startups
Background: Former CIO at HarperCollins UK and SVP Technology & Operations at Turner Broadcasting
Louise Brogan
Host: Raise Your Visibility Online
Based in Carnmoney, Northern Ireland
Specialises in helping businesses raise their visibility online
LinkedIn: Louise Brogan
Mentioned in Episode:
- Louise Doyle (previous podcast guest) - Founder of Needy
- NotebookLM - AI tool for team knowledge management
- The Rose Review - Report on female entrepreneurship
🎙️ About This Podcast
Raise Your Visibility Online explores how business leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators are building successful careers and companies in the digital age. Host Louise Brogan brings her background in public health, computing, and entrepreneurship to conversations that inspire action and practical change.
📅 Episode Details
Episode: RYVO Podcast with Laura Meyer
Host: Louise Brogan
Guest: Laura Meyer, Angel Investor
Duration: Approximately 40 minutes
Topics: AI transformation, female founders, angel investing, future of work, startup advice
💬 Join the Conversation
What's your experience with AI in business? Are you considering starting your own company? Share your thoughts on LinkedIn and tag Louise Brogan and Laura Meyer.
Questions for future episodes? Connect with Louise on LinkedIn.
🔔 Subscribe & Review
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Next Episode: Check back for more inspiring conversations with business leaders who are shaping the future of work and entrepreneurship.
Previous Episode: Louise Doyle, Founder of Needy - discussing her journey to securing investment
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