Loretta Mccarthy

Loretta McCarthy is Co-CEO and Managing Partner of Golden Seeds, one of the largest and most active angel networks in the United States focused exclusively on early-stage women-led companies. Golden Seeds says it has invested $200 million across more than 279 women-led companies, which have gone on to raise more than $2.5 billion in total funding.

McCarthy has been with Golden Seeds since its early years. Forbes reports that she became Co-CEO and Managing Partner in 2011; other public profiles describe her earlier Golden Seeds role as Managing Director beginning in 2005. At Golden Seeds she helps manage a nationwide investor network and supports the organization’s combination of investment, investor education, and founder engagement.

Before Golden Seeds, McCarthy held senior marketing roles in financial services. Public profiles list her as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at OppenheimerFunds from 1985 to 2001 and Vice President of Marketing at American Express from 1979 to 1985. A podcast profile also notes earlier executive experience at Dayton-Hudson Corporation, later Target Corporation.

Her education is listed publicly as an MBA from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business and an undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona. She has also served on nonprofit and company boards, including Sanctuary for Families, Abingdon Theatre Company, New Yorkers for Children, the Women’s Tennis Association, and Prolitec.

• Golden Seeds’ stated mission is “to fund and support women-led companies.”
• Golden Seeds’ stated thesis: “gender diverse teams produce better return on equity.”
• The network focuses on early-stage, women-led, U.S.-domiciled companies with at least one woman in an operating C-suite role; Golden Seeds evaluates whether that executive has real power, influence, and meaningful equity.
• Golden Seeds typically invests in B2B and B2C technologies, health care, and consumer products or services.
• The firm looks for a capable management team with domain expertise, a scalable business model, an addressable market of at least $500 million, limited capital expenditure needs, beta-stage or later product development, proof-of-concept revenue or significant pilots, and a plausible 5-8 year exit path.
• In a 2025 Forbes interview, McCarthy said Golden Seeds prioritizes “a big market, a unique solution, and a team that can execute,” and warned that “pattern recognition can be a trap.”
• Golden Seeds generally does not fund venture funds, real-estate-heavy businesses, TV/radio/film/theater/art productions, nonprofits, non-U.S.-domiciled companies, Reg CF offerings, 506(c) offerings, or deals involving broker/dealer fees.