Kerry Washington, Time’s Up Leaders Among Investors in The Wing, a Women’s Workspace Startup
By Todd Spangler
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Actress-producer Kerry Washington and leaders behind Time’s Up joined a $75 million funding round in The Wing, a startup that runs a network of work and community spaces designed for women.
The Series C round was led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from new investors Upfront Ventures, Airbnb and existing investors NEA and WeWork, a major player in the shared-workspace business. The new round brings The Wing’s total funding to date to $117.5 million.
Members of Time’s Up leadership who invested in The Wing include producer Katie McGrath of Bad Robot Prods. (who is co-CEO with J.J. Abrams), former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, and two co-founders of Time’s Up Legal Defense, lawyer Robbie Kaplan and political consultant Hilary Rosen. In addition, four U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team players — Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Meghan Klingenberg and Becky Sauerbrunn — also joined the round.
In a tweet , Washington said she was “Honored and excited to be part of this amazing community of women!”
New York-based The Wing, founded in 2016, now counts over 6,000 members and operates locations in New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. It plans to open new locations in 2019 in West Hollywood, Chicago, Boston, London, Toronto, and Paris. The Wing’s membership plans start at $215 per month for access at a single location.
With the funding, Sequoia partner Jess Lee and Upfront partner Kara Nortman have joined The Wing’s board. Both are founding members of All Raise, a coalition of women dedicated to increasing access for women and minority founders and investors in Silicon Valley.
“The Wing’s mission is the advancement of women through community, and we could not be more excited to partner with such a powerful community of women who lead their fields in tech, Hollywood, policy, and sports. This round is proof positive that women can be on both sides of the table,” Audrey Gelman, The Wing’s co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. “This investment will enable us to further The Wing’s mission and scale to new heights both offline and online.”
