Sometimes, entrepreneurship is born out of absence not ambition.
Today, I learned something that no spreadsheet or forecast can deliver.
I learned it from Serena Williams, during the opening panel of Cannes Lions 2025.
She shared how she went from athlete to entrepreneur. Not out of vanity, or because of a long-held dream. But because she looked at the market, didn’t find the solutions she wanted to see in the world… and decided to create them.
It was simple and powerful.
Next to her, investor Catherine D. brought a number that turned the room silent:
Less than 2% of venture capital funding goes to women-led businesses.
Two percent.
Even with all the research showing that when a woman leads, the impact is more systemic, deeper, more sustainable.
The panel wasn’t just about gender equity.
It was about strategic vision.
About real impact.
About money as a vector for transformation social, environmental, and cultural.
Investing in women is not corporate charity.
It’s future intelligence.
And what a powerful way to start Cannes: with courage, active listening, and numbers that leave no doubt.
With the certainty that the future we want must have a woman’s name, face, and decision-making at its core.
Fer Paiva
Strategist, creator, and guest columnist for Sarça House at Cannes Lions 2025
