Anu Duggal is the Founding Partner of Female Founders Fund (FFF), the largest early-stage
fund investing exclusively in female-founded companies. Under her leadership, FFF has seen successful exits, including BentoBox, Billie,& Eloquii, and she is among the few female solo general partners managing over $140 million in assets under management.
Anu hosts The 2% podcast, featuring conversations with prominent founders and investors including Melinda Gates, Serena Williams, Mellody Hobson, Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bobbi Brown and Anne Wojcicki amongst others.
A frequent public speaker, she has interviewed global icons such as Malala Yousafzai and Trevor Noah, at global events such as Brilliant Minds, FII Riyadh, NYT Dealbook Conference and the Milken Conference.
Her accolades include being named in Fortune's "40 Under 40” and Crain's "Notable Women in Tech.” Business Insider has recognized her in the "Ultimate List of Female Startup Investors” and among the "Top 4 Venture Firms Investing in Women.” Anu is a regular contributor to leading media outlets, including The TODAY Show, Bloomberg TV, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC Squawk Alley, Fortune, Inc., and Fast Company.
Prior to founding FFF, Anu co-founded Exclusively.in, a private-sale e-commerce company backed by Accel Partners and Tiger Global, which was acquired by Myntra in 2011. A serial entrepreneur, her first venture was launching India's first wine bar, The Tasting Room in Bombay in 2005. She holds an MBA from London Business School and a BA from Vassar College.
She is on the board of Maven Clinic, Violette_Fr, Wagmo, and Oula Clinic amongst others.
Anu has been an active political fundraiser, supporting President Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns, and previously served on the Board of the Rubin Museum of Art. Residing in New York City and Long Island, she is a passionate gardener and trained at the La Varenne Culinary School in Burgundy.
When I started Female Founders Fund - it was with the belief that we would start to see venture-backed businesses built by women and there was a white space for a fund that seeded the most talented founders. I saw this as a market arbitrage strategy at a point in time when female founders were being undervalued by the primarily male VC audience.
I’m always impressed by founders who demonstrate real hustle - bold cold outreach and follow up multiple times.
One trait which we have seen is the “chip on the shoulder”, i.e founders who have something to prove, perhaps a past company that was not quite as successful, etc. This motivation becomes an incredibly strong driver.
As CEO, you are constantly selling - to your investors, employees, and customers. This is an important skill and one that stands out in those founders who are most successful.
Understanding your strengths and hiring for your weaknesses. We’ve seen this in successful founders - the self awareness and humility to be able to build a team that complements the existing strengths of the team.
Our fundamental goal at Female Founders Fund is to prove that investing in female-founded companies is not just a diversity mandate—it is a vehicle for top-tier venture returns. Over the last decade, we have executed this through a disciplined, thesis-driven approach, identifying high-growth opportunities that the traditional market systematically overlooks.
In the venture capital industry, the most powerful lever for change is alpha. We believe that the most effective way to shift the industry forward is to demonstrate that by ignoring female founders, institutional capital is leaving significant returns on the table. We don't just want to be part of the ecosystem; we want to show the industry what it’s missing.
One of our team motto’s is “gentle persistence” In the early days of fundraising for Fund I, I heard "no" hundreds of times, and continue to hear “no” hundreds of times. Success is often just being the last person standing who refuses to stop trying.
Martha Stewart - her ability to come back and reinvent herself post trial and jail is such a powerful reminder of the power of human resilience.
My Japanese gardening secateurs. I’m an avid gardener, and there is something deeply restorative about the physical act of pruning and tending to growth. It’s my ultimate analog escape- it reminds me that whether you are cultivating a garden or a portfolio, patience and careful curation are everything.
I’m closely following the 'analog trend' for 2026—a cultural pivot toward simplicity and tactile experiences as a response to digital saturation. I'm excited to back founders who are building the next generation of high-touch, community-driven brands that prioritize real-world connection.
One book that shaped my career trajectory was The Cook and The Gardener by Amanda Hesser. At the time, I was deeply passionate about the culinary world, and Amanda’s writing about living and working at the La Varenne Culinary School inspired me so much so that I applied to and eventually interned for six months at La Varenne which was an incredible life experience.
