Directory

Important links, minus the scavenger hunt.

Curated external links from the WE financial infrastructure directory — women-led banks, funds, lending circles, certification bodies, and proof-of-concept models. Start with The Mycelium™. Go from there.

Our community — start here

The Mycelium™

Women-First Economy

themycelium.org

The Mycelium™ is the community and directory we are building — the connective tissue of the Women's Economy. Not a list. An ecosystem entry point designed around the pledge: search women-led first before going outside.

Like mycelium in a forest — invisible threads that transfer nutrients between trees — this directory keeps value circulating within the ecosystem rather than bleeding out on the first transaction.

Enter the Mycelium™ →
Search women-led first.

The pledge every buyer takes before going outside the ecosystem.

Two tracks.

Consumer discovery + supply-chain sourcing. Both tied to the pledge that converts visibility into circulation.

One goal.

Keep dollars circulating inside the women's economy — not leaking out after the first transaction.

Directories — women-first

The broader landscape

Consumer discovery

Buy Women Owned

Consumer-facing directory connected to WBENC certification. Useful reference, but not the full WE model.

buywomenowned.comGlobal infrastructure

WEConnect International

Global certification and supplier discovery infrastructure. Strong backbone, wrong center of gravity for WE, but still important.

weconnectinternational.orgGlobal trade

SheTrades

International Trade Centre initiative connecting women-owned businesses to markets.

shetrades.comModel worth studying

ByBlack

Closest live architecture to the pledge-plus-directory logic WE needs.

byblack.usCertification body

WBENC

Most established women-owned business certification body in the U.S.

wbenc.orgConsumer discovery

Buy From Her

Easily find Women-Owned Businesses you can buy from.

buyfromher.comVenture Capital

Female Founders Fund

Leading source of institutional capital for female founders raising seed capital with over $3B in enterprise value.

femalefoundersfund.comConsumer discovery

Our Own Damn List

A community-built directory of Black women leaders, founders, and changemakers you need on your feed. No algorithms. Just brilliance.

ourowndamnlist.comGrants & support

Ladies Who Launch

Small business grants and resources specifically for women entrepreneurs.

ladieswholaunch.org
Banks & financial institutions

Women-owned banking infrastructure

Spotlight

First Women's Bank

Commercial bank with an explicit strategic focus on the women's economy.

firstwomens.bankU.S. bank

The First National Bank of Izard County

Community bank in Arkansas.

fnbizardcounty.comU.S. bank

Beacon Business Bank

Commercial community bank in California.

beaconbusinessbank.comU.S. bank

Southeast First National Bank

Community bank in Georgia.

southeastfnb.comU.S. bank

First National Bank of Manning

Agricultural and commercial community bank in Iowa.

fnbmanning.comU.S. bank

First National Bank in Fredonia

Community bank in Kansas.

fnbfredonia.comU.S. bank

The First National Bank of Gordon

Community bank in Nebraska.

fnbgordon.comU.S. bank

Banccentral, National Association

Multi-branch community bank in Oklahoma.

bcna.comU.S. bank

First National Bank of Okeene

Agricultural community bank in Oklahoma.

fnbokeene.comU.S. bank

The National Bank of Malvern

Community bank in Pennsylvania.

natbankmal.comU.S. bank

Commercial National Bank of Texarkana

Commercial community bank on the Texas/Arkansas border.

cnbtxk.comU.S. bank

Texas National Bank of Jacksonville

The largest women-owned bank in the U.S.

txnationalbank.comU.S. bank

The Santa Anna National Bank

Community bank serving Coleman County, Texas.

mysanb.comU.S. bank

First National Bank in Tigerton

Community bank in Wisconsin.

bank1stnational.comResearch

Mighty Deposits

Values-aligned banking research resource.

mightydeposits.comGlobal institution

SEWA Bank

Women-founded financial cooperative in India.

sewabankfoundation.orgGlobal network

Women's World Banking

Global financial inclusion infrastructure and capital partner network.

womensworldbanking.org
Investment funds & investor networks — women-first

Capital stack

U.S. VC

Female Founders Fund

Early and growth-stage women-led investing.

femalefoundersfund.comU.S. / Global

Astia

Bias-resistant investment model and global expert network.

astia.orgU.S. VC

Acrew Capital

Fintech, cybersecurity, consumer tech.

acrewcapital.comU.S. VC

BBG Ventures

Early-stage fund requiring at least one female founder.

bbgventures.comU.S. VC

Cowboy Ventures

Software-focused early stage.

cowboy.vcU.S. VC

Backstage Capital

Women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ founders.

backstagecapital.comU.S. VC

Rogue Women's Fund

B2B SaaS, enterprise, and foundational industries.

roguewomenfund.comU.S. VC

Amplifyher Ventures

Diverse leadership teams in new markets.

amplifyherventures.comU.S. VC

Chingona Ventures

Latina-founded ethos, massively changing industries.

chingona.venturesU.S. VC

Bumble Fund

Early-stage underrepresented founders, especially women of color.

bumble.vcU.S. VC

Avestria Ventures

Women's health and female-led life sciences.

avestria.vcU.S. VC

The Artemis Fund

Fintech, commerce, and care sectors.

theartemisfund.comU.S. VC

Outlander VC

Diverse, cross-sector early stage.

outlandervc.comAccessible investing

Portfolia

Most accessible entry point into women-focused venture investing.

portfolia.coAngel fund

Belle Capital USA

Early-stage underserved capital markets.

bellecapital.comAccessible fund

AV Women's Venture Fund

Alumni Ventures co-investment vehicle.

av.vcGap-closing capital

Claritas Capital / Athena Ventures

Targets valuation gaps for women founders.

claritascapital.comAfrica

Alitheia IDF

Africa's first and largest gender-lens private equity fund.

alitheia.comAfrica

Janngo Capital

Pan-African gender-equal venture capital.

janngo.comAfrica

Aruwa Capital Management

Nigeria-based private equity with gender thesis.

aruwa.comAfrica

Rising Tide Africa

Female-led angel network across the continent.

risingtideafrica.comAfrica

AFAWA

African Development Bank initiative unlocking financing for women-led businesses.

afdb.orgGlobal

2X Challenge

Global gender-lens development finance benchmark and capital commitment platform.

2xchallenge.orgEurope

European Women in VC

Network of female investors across Europe.

europeanwomeninvc.orgLatin America

IDB Lab / We-Fi

Women entrepreneurs finance initiative in Latin America.

bidlab.org
Lending circles

Ancient infrastructure, modern links

U.S. network

Mission Asset Fund

Formalized lending circles with credit building and a national partner network.

missionassetfund.orgCommunity platform

R.O.S.C.A. Money Circle

Community-first app and newsletter rooted in tanda culture.

roscamoneycircle.comFintech

Esusu

Digitized ROSCA logic with rent reporting and credit building.

esusu.orgCDFI support

Accion Opportunity Fund

Loans, coaching, and support networks serving women and underserved founders.

aofund.orgSouth Africa

NASASA

Network infrastructure for one of the most institutionalized stokvel ecosystems in the world.

nasasa.co.zaGlobal model

VSLA

Village Savings and Loan Associations across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

vsla.netGlobal model

CARE Savings Groups

CARE's village savings model across 38+ countries.

care.org
Certification & procurement

Useful infrastructure, even when it's still trapped in old-system logic

Verification

Use these when you need recognized standards instead of inventing your own bureaucracy.

WBENCWEConnectSBA WOSB

Support platforms

Not the WE endgame, but worth linking because people will ask.

Hello AliceBuy From a Black WomanAlibaba
Proof / models

People and organizations proving the logic

Phase 1

RUNWAY

Jessica Norwood's capital infrastructure work.

runwayfreedom.comPhase 1

Beloved Economies

Non-extractive economic design closely aligned with WE.

belovedeconomies.orgPhase 4

The Village Market

Operationalized internal circulation and visibility at scale.

thevillagemarket.usPhase 4

Our Village United

Support infrastructure around Black entrepreneurship and circulation.

ourvillageunited.orgPhase 3

Black Women's Wealth Alliance

Grassroots-to-institution arc around wealth education and support.

bwwa.orgPhase 1 + 2

Black Girl Ventures

Community-voted funding model and ecosystem infrastructure.

blackgirlventures.orgPhase 4 + 5

The Empowerment Experiment

Maggie Anderson's proof-with-receipts on internal circulation.

empowermentexperiment.com
Want to be listed in the Mycelium™?

Listing is forever free and open to Women-owned businesses only. If you know a business that should be on the map, yours included — nominate it via the pledge form.