Watermill Group Launches WMX

LEXINGTON, MA – February 12, 2020 – Recognizing the positive link between female leadership and business performance, the Watermill Group today launched WMX—an initiative that brings private equity access and resources to gender-diverse teams.

“We’re widening the path to private equity by making late stage investments in great teams led by women with a vision to build enduring businesses,” stated Julia Karol, President and COO, Watermill Group, a strategy-driven private investment firm, and Founder, WMX. “As a women-led firm, we are committed to using our seat at the table to make more space for more companies with high growth potential. WMX is a mechanism to increase access to key financial, strategic and corporate resources that smart leaders need to thrive.”

There is growing global awareness that diversity increases a business’s bottom line. Research from McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group and others have confirmed this connection time and again. Yet, investment trends are not showing a parallel increase in the amount of late stage private capital going to female founders and gender-diverse teams. In emerging markets, just 7% of private equity and venture capital is invested in portfolio companies led by women. In one quarter in 2019, only 3% of combined investment capital went to female-started companies.

While there are pockets of improvement in other parts of the finance world—including increases in gender- and diversity- focused angel investing, an upsurge in female- focused and led venture capital firms, and new gender diversity mandates from governments and leading institutions—much more needs to be done to kickstart and accelerate the pace of improvement in private equity.

“For decades, private equity has been a vital driver of business growth and success,” added Ms. Karol. “Watermill is committed to building on that foundation while re-envisioning a new more transparent, inclusive and accessible private equity experience that works for all leaders and entrepreneurs.”

Click to download our WMX investment criteria.

Hear Julia Karol Speak at ACG Boston's Women's Connection Event on March 18

Julia Karol, President & COO, Watermill Group, will be speaking at the Women's Connection event on "Financing and Investing in Women-Led Businesses," March 18 at BNY Mellon Wealth Management.  Learn more here.

About the Watermill Group

The Watermill Group is a strategy-driven private investment firm that helps companies achieve their full potential through strategic transformation. For more than four decades, Watermill has been acquiring, operating and improving companies. Watermill looks for businesses in which it can apply a unique combination of strategic insight and management expertise to re-imagine their future and drive growth.

Press Contact

Joanna Clark
CXO Communication for Watermill
+1 207-712-1404
joanna@cxocommunication.com