While women create nearly as many businesses as men, few of them receive angel money. Women account for just 11 percent of the entrepreneurs seeking angel capital in the U.S., and only 14 percent of those got an investment in the first six months of 2010, according to an October report by the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire. Women entrepreneurs “don’t seek capital at a very high rate,” says Jeffrey E. Sohl, director of the UNH center. When they do, “they tend to look for women angels, and there aren’t that many.”

Oberti Noguera says a partnership with Women 2.0, a networking group of tech entrepreneurs, will help her track down potential deals. She has lined up advisers such as Web pioneer Esther Dyson and has tapped a nonprofit called the Angel Capital Education Foundation for help with the curriculum. And Oberti Noguera is already planning similar programs in San Francisco and Los Angeles for next year.

Her effort is attracting support in the startup community. “Angel investors tend to learn from other angel investors,” says Feld. “Anything we can do to encourage more women to be involved and visible is a good thing in terms of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”