TLDR:
- Women founders struggle to raise venture capital in Europe and the US.
- Longer-term data shows positive trends for women founders in terms of deal numbers.
Women-founded startups accounted for 2% or less of venture capital (VC) funding in Europe and the United States in 2023, according to Pitchbook data. However, there are signs of growth for women in the VC ecosystem over the longer term. While startups founded solely by women raised only 1.8% of total capital in Europe and 2% in the US, women-only startups are making gains by volume of deals. The number of deals for women-founded teams has grown more quickly than deals for all-male-founded teams in the last decade. Top countries for investing in women-founded startups include the United Kingdom and the US. Data from other regions, such as Africa and Asia Pacific, also suggest similar trends in the challenges and opportunities for women founders.
