Investment Firm Muse Capital Bolsters Women's Health and Athletics Sector
Muse Capital, a venture capital firm co-founded by Assia Grazioli-Venier and Rachel Springate, is making waves in the industry by focusing on women's health and sports. The firm, which began testing its thesis in 2017, has seen significant successes, including a couple of early exits, an uncommon outcome at the seed stage.
The firm's impact in women's sports is evident through its affiliation with women-led ownership groups in sports leagues and teams. Muse Capital is a part of the SailGP sailing league and women's football (soccer) teams, advocating for and investing in the growth potential of women's sports. They believe that valuations in women's sports, such as the Women's Super League or Angel City FC, are marking a promising upward trend as revenue streams continue to grow.
Muse Capital's strategy is not just about investing but building the infrastructure and ownership models that ensure sustainable growth for women's sports franchises. They nurture multi-team ownership groups led by women, promoting diversity in sports investment and leadership, which historically has been male-dominated.
In the realm of women's health, Muse Capital participates in health-tech funding rounds targeting startups that specifically address women’s health needs. They are committed to diversity and inclusion in venture capital, as demonstrated by their role in a $12 million Series A round for Eli Health, a company focused on women's well-being.
Muse Capital pursues diversity and access in venture capital by being part of initiatives to bring more diverse investors into deals. They recognise that increasing ownership among underrepresented groups is key to driving systemic change in funding and wealth generation.
The firm's founders, Assia Grazioli-Venier, Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, and Jimmy Spithill, steer the team alongside industry leaders such as Anne Hathaway, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, and others. Muse Capital's support goes beyond capital, offering thoughtful insight, strategic introductions, and a genuine commitment to the growth of its portfolio companies.
Some of Muse Capital's portfolio companies include Ohai, Save Trees, Clarity Money, Just Women's Sports, Wonder Works, Caribu, Midi, Cofertility, and Eli Health, which are pioneers in femtech and hormone health. Notable achievements include helping Eli Health land a free Times Square billboard and bringing Maria Sharapova on board as a strategic investor in Cofertility.
In 2024, only 2% of U.S. VC funding went to all-female founding teams, and 21.2% to mixed-gender founding teams. Despite this, Muse Capital has $52 million in assets under management and nine of their portfolio companies have exited. The firm is still investing out of its second fund and laying the groundwork for its third.
Muse Capital's approach is a testament to what's possible when female VCs lead and invest in the future they want to see, whether in women's healthcare tech or global sports ownership. Their strategy combines financial investment with nurturing female leadership and building infrastructure that ensures the sustained growth of women’s sports franchises and health ventures, while promoting diversity and access to capital throughout these sectors.
- Muse Capital, a firm led by women, is not only investing in femtech funding and women's sports ventures, but also building infrastructure to ensure sustainable growth for female-led franchises in these sectors, promoting diversity in sports investment and leadership.
- In the technology and sports industries, Muse Capital's impact can be seen through their investments in diverse founders, Women's Super League, Angel City FC, and femtech companies such as Eli Health and Cofertility, marking a positive trend in valuations and revenue streams.
