I worked on the trading floor advising financial institutions on their bond investments so I was constrained on what I could and could not personally invest in. Being so constrained soon became an excuse to de-prioritise my own investing life. Oddly enough it was starting angel and impact investing for my own portfolio that really ignited my passion for investing. Moreover, the realisation that women especially needed to break the gender investing gap made investing so much more urgent and necessary for me. After making my first few angel investments, I decided to also start building out a portfolio of blue chip equities, which I now consistently add to along with regular investments into ETFs. I think it’s really important to find what keeps investing interesting for you—and for me it’s investing with purpose as well as the knowledge that every investment I’m making means I’m also doing my part to narrow the gender investing gap.

– Christine Yu, Co-founder, Sophia 

Three years ago, I invested in Triiyo, a company that prioritises human connection to improve the employee experience. Founder Rebecca Grainger's personal journey and determination to create a better workplace caught my attention. Rebecca's experiences in the corporate world showed her how a lack of support and human connection affected employees. She founded Triiyo to provide a solution, and since then, it has worked with large organisations to improve the worklife of employees during critical life stages. Rebecca has faced challenges as a female founder, particularly in fundraising, but her resilience and focus on the vision has kept her going. Triiyo's success is a testament to Rebecca's passion for empowering employees. Her story shows the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity. As Triiyo continues to grow, Rebecca's focus on the employee experience will drive its success.

– Tanya Rolfe, Co-founder, Sophia

I started saving from casual jobs during university, then after university and once I had a regular income, I moved all my savings into a mutual fund to which I set up a monthly, automatic payment and I also reinvested any dividends. The reality was that these were small amounts but it created a method of savings and investing that was a stepping stone for a deposit on my first property. Once my regular salary had increased enough to be able to meet mortgage repayments, coupled with the growth in my mutual fund, I was able to put a deposit on my first property. It was these small, consistent steps that helped me understand that small actions do count over time. It also taught me the power of maximising my income as early as possible and inspired me to continue to invest and diversify over time. 

– Nicole Denholder, Co-founder, Sophia 

Taking that first step towards investing is about having the confidence to know what options are out there for you, what your financial goals are and what motivates your lifestyle. We hope these stories inspire you to start your own investing journey.

Nicole is a co-founder of Sophia. She is also the founder of Next Chapter Raise, Asia’s leading fundraising and education platform for female founders. Nicole is a frequent guest on The Money Makers podcast, which interviews inspiring women in finance and female founders, and co-host of Raise the Bar podcast, which interviews female investors and founders.

This article is part of Front & Female’s Wealth With Sophia series, a collaboration with Sophia, a financial education platform built by women for women, to open up the conversation about money and help drive female financial literacy. The online series covers all things money and investing to enable women to gain the confidence to take control of their wealth creation.

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