TechCrunch Industry News Funding to women-founded startups declined 12% in 2024, but that wasn’t far behind the broader market
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Mar 6, 2025 Agatha Nowicka, Founder of Female Foundry and author of the Female Innovation Index 2025, discusses the recent 12% decline in funding for women-founded startups in 2024, mirroring the broader 11% downturn in venture investments. She emphasizes the importance of detailed metrics to better assess funding landscapes. Agatha also encourages women in academia to embrace entrepreneurial paths, spotlighting the emerging deep tech ventures led by women and the unique challenges they face within the European startup ecosystem.
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Women-Founded Startup Funding
- Venture investment in women-founded European startups declined 12% in 2024, mirroring the overall market's 11% dip.
- This contrasts with concerns about decreased diversity efforts impacting female founders disproportionately.
Deep Tech Funding
- Women-founded deep tech startups are outperforming male counterparts in fundraising.
- This success is attributed to the sector's academic ties, where female representation is stronger.
Female Founder Definition
- This report counts startups with at least one female co-founder as women-founded, increasing the sample size.
- Other reports often only consider all-women teams, resulting in a lower, around 2.2%, venture capital share for 2024.