“It’s the highest-performing investment strategy in the startup ecosystem”: 2X Global Australia Ambassador Roo Harris on the opportunities of GLI

Roo Harris is a leader at the nexus of venture capital and gender.

As co-owner of Scale Investors, a specialist gender-lens fund manager, she is a driving force behind investments in women-led startups. With a background in commercial law and a master's degree in the same field, Roo's career has taken her across the globe, including significant time in the Middle East. While there, she advised members of Qatar’s ruling family on venture deals and witnessed firsthand how capital could be a powerful lever for both economic and social change.

This experience solidified her belief in 'conscious capital'—a human-centered model of capitalism that is relational and sustainable. Beyond her work in gender lens investing, Roo is a passionate advocate for the neurodivergent and disability communities. She serves on the board of several disability tech startups and is a member of the advisory board for the T-EDI Standards (Tech Council of Australia).  She is an active participant in Equity Clear, a gender transparency initiative spearheaded through her business, Scale Investors, which was recently recognised on Fortune's "Change the World" list. Roo lives in Melbourne with her husband, Tom, and two children, and is currently completing a master's in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Roo Harris is 2X Global’s Ambassador for Australia.

What first drew you to gender lens investing, and how has your journey shaped your perspective?

My journey into gender lens investing began with a stark observation: huge amounts of capital were flowing through the Middle East, and yet their potential to create significant social and economic impact was not being fully captured. This insight ignited my passion for impact investing. When I returned to Australia, joining Scale Investors—the country's original gender lens investment angel group—felt like a natural and powerful next step.

My journey has reshaped my perspective in one critical way: I now see gender lens investing not just as an ethical choice, but as a strategic imperative. It’s the highest-performing investment strategy in the startup ecosystem. The data is clear: teams with at least one woman co-founder consistently outperform all-male teams. This isn’t about charity; it’s about smart, conscious capital allocation that delivers exceptional returns while building a more equitable and sustainable future.

“My journey has reshaped my perspective in one critical way: I now see gender lens investing not just as an ethical choice, but as a strategic imperative.

It’s the highest-performing investment strategy in the startup ecosystem. The data is clear: teams with at least one woman co-founder consistently outperform all-male teams.”

What makes Australia a strong market for gender lens investing, and how are those opportunities showing up today?

Australia is uniquely positioned for gender lens investing. First, our women are exceptionally well-educated, representing 58% of all university graduates. Despite this, the capital flow to women-led companies is shockingly low. Just 2–4% of venture capital funding goes to all-women founding teams, and less than 20% goes to teams with at least one woman co-founder. This creates a clear and compelling market inefficiency.

But what makes this even more significant is the outperformance of women-led startups. Statistics consistently show that startups founded or co-founded by women generate a 35% higher return on investment and 10% higher cumulative revenue while being significantly more capital-efficient. Australia is also a "unicorn factory," ranking second only to the US in producing startups valued at over $1 billion per $1 billion invested. When you combine this propensity for success with the massive, untapped potential of women-led ventures, you get a powerful, overlooked opportunity for outsized returns.

What are the key ways Australia can grow a gender-smart investment ecosystem?

We need to tackle this from multiple angles.

• Fund Women Fund Managers: This is the most crucial lever. Research shows that women fund managers are two to three times more likely to invest in other women. By providing capital and support to diverse, emerging fund managers, we can unlock a cascade of funding for underrepresented founders. This is how we build a truly inclusive pipeline from the top down.

• System Financial Shifts - Engage Institutional Investors: We need to get Australia's large institutional investors, particularly our superannuation funds, to integrate a gender lens into their portfolios. These funds have immense power to shift capital markets and catalyse systemic change.

• Boost Financial Literacy for Women: It's essential to increase financial literacy and confidence among women so they can become active investors themselves. When women invest with a gender lens, they not only grow their own wealth but also directly contribute to the success of other women-led businesses, creating a virtuous cycle.

What sectors in Australia show the greatest potential for gender-smart capital deployment, particularly where climate and gender intersect?

“This lived experience is a powerful catalyst for innovation.

Female founders in CareTech are uniquely positioned to identify and solve critical problems in a human-centered way.

By investing in these founders, we’re not just supporting a single company; we’re backing the future of an entire industry that is essential for a functioning society.”

The most promising area for gender-smart capital deployment is unquestionably CareTech. This includes everything from medtech and health to disability, aged care, and childcare technology. These are sectors where women are both the dominant workforce,  the primary users and decision makers.

This lived experience is a powerful catalyst for innovation. Female founders in CareTech are uniquely positioned to identify and solve critical problems in a human-centered way. By investing in these founders, we're not just supporting a single company; we're backing the future of an entire industry that is essential for a functioning society.

What’s one story or moment in your work that reminds you why this mission matters? OR If you could fast-forward to 2030, what would success look like for Australia’s investment culture/practices?

Every day, I'm reminded of why this mission matters. I see a "tsunami" of incredible women-led startups, and every day I have to pass on exceptional investment opportunities simply because there isn't enough capital to deploy. The narrative that there's a lack of women-led pipeline in the early-stage venture space is simply not true. We are inundated with high-quality, high-growth companies.

This reality makes our work both urgent and deeply frustrating. My goal is to get to a point where every deserving female founder has access to the capital they need to build, scale, and succeed. That's the future I'm working toward.