Blog

By Neal Augenstein – WTOP
Published February 12, 2026

View and listen to the original article here.

Getting a startup off the ground requires a great idea — and a lot of money.

Women-based companies only get a sliver of funding that men’s companies get — approximately 2% — but a new panel series about angel investing aims to help lower the barriers for women to invest in companies they believe in.

“The more women we can get writing checks, the more women will get funded,” said Stephanie Marsh…

By Nate Doughty – Staff Reporter, Washington Business Journal
Published October 20, 2025

View the original article here.

Story Highlights

• Citrine Angels launches nonprofit Citrine Impact to educate women on startup investing.

• Citrine Impact aims to address funding disparities for women-owned startups.

• The nonprofit seeks $250,000 in donations.

As trillions of dollars shift into the hands of the next generation over the next decade, one D.C.-based angel group is betting that…

We’re proud to announce Citrine Impact, our new charitable nonprofit dedicated to expanding opportunities for women investors and founders. Citrine Impact will operate alongside Citrine Angels, our angel investing organization, to advance a shared mission:  more women investing in more women, and expanding access to wealth creation across the startup ecosystem.

This evolution reflects our commitment to equity and sustainability. As Citrine’s community and influence have grown, so has the need f…

Citrine Angels is proud of what we have accomplished in 2024 - none of which could be possible without the support of our wonderful members and our supportive partners! 

• We invested $431,200 in women founders, which brings our total amount invested to over $1.5 million since our 2019 inception. 
  
• We received over 300 applications from startup companies with 54 of those applicants selected to participate in pre-pitch meetings. This resulted in 9 investments being made and 4 new portfolio compa…

Today, we are thrilled to announce a new partnership with Okeanos. Centered around a joint vision of supporting more female-founded startups and making venture and angel investing more accessible, Citrine and Okeanos will join forces to fund more women entrepreneurs and expand investment opportunities for women nationwide. 

Okeanos, formerly Riverbend Capital, is a venture capital firm consisting of 100+ members nationwide that invests in early and growth stage technology company. They are comm…

Investing isn't just about crunching numbers; it's about trusting your gut and navigating the intricate dance of intuition and data. In a Citrine Angels workshop held last month at Refraction, Kate Byrne and Viola Llewellyn, co-founders of The Tulle-Box, shared how the very attributes for which women are often critiqued can be power tools when it comes to investing. Having the confidence and wisdom to put them to work to make savvy, positive investments is why female investor’s portfolios often …

Last month, Arlington Economic Development (AED) held a panel discussion at the National Landing Experience Center, focused on getting venture ready. Powered by Citrine Angels, this was the second installment of the “Elevate Your Venture: Arlington Female Founder Series,” which kicked off this past spring with a packed house to discuss if venture capital is right for you. Learn more about that here.

Citrine Angels Executive Board member and Dealflow Chair Michelle Olenoski moderated the convers…

Aspiring and newer angel investors often ask for the best strategies for angel investing, as well as how to make a great ROI. With this idea in mind, Citrine Angels held a panel discussion on Investment Strategies and Portfolio Construction, featuring experts from Blu Ventures, Angel Capital Association and New Dominion Angels.

One of the exciting aspects of angel investing is that investors make decisions themselves. Decisions can be rational, emotionally driven based on what resonates, or bot…

On March 5, Arlington Economic Development (AED) kicked off its “Elevate Your Venture: Arlington Female Founder Series” powered by Citrine Angels (Citrine). Held at Northeastern University’s Arlington campus, it was standing-room-only as entrepreneurs and investors packed the space to hear leading fund managers provide valuable insights on the pros and cons of accepting venture capital. 

Aurelia Flores, co-founder of Citrine and an Investment Director at Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporat…