Where are the women-run startups?

If you’ve been following this site for a few years you might now that I have a side interest in business.

One of my favorite magazines these days is Inc. I like reading about the world from an entirely different perspective, and applying that to my life as a (mostly) activist.

But, as we know, the field of business is quite often dominated by white men. The reasoning behind this is not hard to see–the world of business is often an elite one, access to capital and investment is often restricted along structural discrimination lines. This is especially true for the big business ventures that require tons of initial cash to get started.

But there are folks across the identity spectrum breaking into the business world and making some impressive strides. In 2004 the New York Times reported that women-run small businesses were leaders in growth and we’ve heard similar things in recent years.

I was psyched to see Fast Company highlight the women behind some of today’s most interesting startups.

Here are the first three:

Pauline Alker, Founder, a la Mobile
Streamlining the way mobile handsets are developed and deployed. They aim to be the independent, open Linux system platform for the mobile phone industry. They adhere to design and development disciplines of openness, innovation and freedom of choice with configurable and customizable architecture.
Funding: Series A, B

Alexa Andrzejewski, CEO and Co-Founder, Foodspotting
A visual guide to good food and where to find it. Foodspotting lets consumers find and share the foods they love: Instead of reviewing restaurants, consumers can recommend their favorite dishes and see what others have recommended wherever you go.
Funding: Series A

Kris Appel, Founder, Encore Path

Encore Path developed Tailwind, a device that helps improve arm function and range of motion for people with stroke or other brain injury.
Funding: Seed

Check out the other 22 here.