Five Lessons From Five Years of Building the Financial Feminist Economy

The51 marks five years of mobilizing women’s capital, and redefining who builds wealth, shapes industries, and drives economies forward.

In 2024, The51 celebrates a milestone: five years of activating women’s capital and building what we call the Financial Feminist™ economy.

What began as 75 women gathered in a Calgary kitchen in 2019 has evolved into a national financial ecosystem of over 25,000 investors, founders, and allies, moving capital into the ventures shaping industries and economies of the future.

Over half a decade, we’ve learned that building a more inclusive, performance-driven capital economy isn’t theory, it’s practice. It’s consistent, collective action.

Here are five lessons from our first five years in market.

1. Any Action Is Better Than Inaction

You don’t need to have it all figured out before you begin.
If you believe in a vision and know you can make an impact, start with what you have and where you are.

The51’s story started the same way, with Shelley Kuipers, Judy Fairburn, and Alice Reimer recognizing a systemic gap: venture capital wasn’t investing in women founders with conviction. Women were rarely at the table as investors, and when they were, their participation was often treated as symbolic, not strategic.

That insight became action, and action became an ecosystem.

2. Stay Curious and Protect Your Values

Capital markets are constantly evolving. The only way to stay relevant, and resilient, is to stay curious.
Listen deeply, learn continuously, and engage with perspectives that challenge your own.

But curiosity without conviction is aimless. Protect what matters: your purpose, your values, and your clarity of mission. They are your anchor in a shifting landscape.

3. Know Who You’re Working With

Venture capital is, at its core, a relationship business.

Always ask: Who am I investing in? Who’s leading this venture?
Alignment matters as much as the numbers. The integrity, clarity, and resilience of a founder can define the journey as much as the business model itself.

At The51, we invest with conviction in founders whose values align with ours, leaders building scalable, enduring companies that drive both performance and progress.

4. Invite Yourself to Participate

For too long, women haven’t been explicitly invited into capital conversations, as founders, as investors, or as decision-makers. That’s changing, and the timing has never been more critical.

By 2028, Canadian women will control over $4 trillion in wealth, almost double today’s figure. By 2035, women are projected to hold 35% of global wealth.

We have both the power and the responsibility to direct that capital intentionally, to invest in the world we want to live in. The invitation is open, but if it doesn’t arrive, extend it to yourself. Participate. Lead. Invest.

5. Surround Yourself With People Who Bring Your Vision to Life

Challenging the status quo attracts attention, and resistance. Stay focused on your direction and surround yourself with people who share your ambition.

Our growth at The51 has been powered by a community that believes in the same vision: to unlock women’s economic power and redefine who gets to build wealth.

Every investor, founder, and partner in our network has contributed to this shared progress. Together, we’ve proven that financial feminism is not a movement on the margins, it’s a market force reshaping the economy.

Closing Reflection

Five years in, one truth stands out: capital moves when women do.

The Financial Feminist™ economy is here, built by those who act with conviction, invest with purpose, and lead with community.

To our investors, founders, and allies, thank you for being part of what we’re building. The next five years are about scale, depth, and continued transformation. The work is just beginning.