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V O L . X X X I N O. X X V I I D E C E M B E R 1 , 2 0 2 5 12 B A N K I N G / F I N A N C E / I N S U R A N C E C ompeting in a male-dominated arena is familiar territory to Julia Trotman, an athlete-turned-ven- ture capital investor based in Portland. "One of the things I loved doing growing up was competing on boys' teams," says Trotman, a former competi- tive sailor who won a bronze medal in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. "I played ice hockey with the boys instead of doing figure skating. I com- peted in sailing against boys because I could win," she says. "I always wanted to be in the arena and not necessarily thought of as a girl." Today in an industry where women hold only 15% of partner or decision- making roles, Trotman is a partner with Valo Ventures, a climate solutions- focused firm that invests in early-stage technology companies. "Women are great investors because they're great supporters," says Trotman, who also mentors entrepreneurs in the ClimateTech Incubator program at Northeastern University's Roux Institute in Portland. ough the Harvard undergraduate and MBA alumna never envisioned a career in finance when she started out, she now can't imagine doing anything else: "I love venture investing because it is art plus science." As more women control capital, they're not only building their own portfolios but also breaking barriers in early-stage investing to support innova- tion and the next generation of women- led startups. at's happening on a small yet meaningful scale in Maine, with many women taking leadership roles in financial advisory firms, working in venture capital and joining the Maine Angels group of accredited investors in growing numbers. $100 trillion wealth transfer e rise of female investors around the globe is documented in a May report by McKinsey & Co. It shows that women currently control about a third of retail financial assets in the United States and Europe. By 2030, that share is projected to exceed 40% as the growth of female- controlled assets worldwide continues to outpace the market. Between 2018 and 2023, global financial wealth climbed by I always wanted to be in the arena and not necessarily thought of as a girl. — Julia Trotman Valo Ventures Julia Trotman, a former Olympic sailing champion, is a partner with Valo Ventures, a venture capital firm she co-founded in 2018. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY N O T E : Financial wealth includes deposits, assets under management and assets under administraiotn held by individuals with at least $100,000 in investable assets. S O U R C E : McKinsey & Co. report published in May 2025. FINANCIAL WEALTH CONTROLLED BY WOMEN, IN TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS Women's share of total financial wealth in the region EUROPE (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K.) UNITED STATES WORLD F O C U S Capital gains How women are transforming the investment landscape B y R e n e e C o r d e s 32% 34% 39% 31% 34% 38% 32% 38% 47% 2018 2023 2030 2018 2023 2030 2018 2023 2030 $39.2T $59.2T $113.8T $10.0T $18.0T $34.0T $4.6T $6.6T $11.4T

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