A closer analysis reveals that the problem for women isn’t winning; it’s deciding to run . There are a number of reasons for this: Women are more likely to assume they don’t have the qualifications to hold office, or that they should start by running for less prominent local offices in order to gain experience. Yet the data shows that once they become candidates, women are just as likely to be elected as men. That’s why in 2017, we should begin an unprecedented effort to encourage more women to enter the fray so that we can achieve equal representation in under 100 years.Fortunately, there are a number of groups working to do just that. Running Start She Should Run , and VoteRunLead are just a few of the organizations aimed at expanding the talent pool of female leaders, and inspiring a culture that fosters gender diversity in politics. These groups all recognize that in order to be successful, the work to cultivate the confidence and skills necessary for women and girls to run for office must begin at an early age.Silicon Valley is stepping up to the plate, as well. Crowdpac , the startup I cofounded in 2013, has launched a tool that allows users to nominate others (or themselves) to run for office and raise money for a future campaign through pledges, which convert to donations only when the candidate enters the race. The goal of this product is simple but important — to help potential candidates build confidence and grow their support before they take the plunge. These innovations in crowdfunding could prove to be especially powerful for women who are more likely to step up to the challenge when they are encouraged to run by their peers.It should be noted that gaps in gender among elected officeholders have been slower to close in some parts of the country than in others. Populous states such as California, New York, and Florida, which boast a large number of female incumbents also have more female candidates. States like Georgia, New Jersey, and Virginia with fewer female incumbents also field fewer female candidates, according to data we've analyzed at Crowdpac (there were six states in 2016 with neither).We especially need to boost participation by drafting and funding women for office in these lagging states.