The Bulletin with UBS Women’s wealth and the 2025 UBS Female Founder Award
Dec 22, 2025
This episode features Emma Wheeler, Head of UBS's Global Women's Wealth Programme, and Marianna Mamou, Head of Device Beyond Investing. They discuss the economic benefits of investing in women-led businesses, which often outperform their peers. Christina Qi, CEO of Data Bento, shares her experiences as a female founder in finance and the challenges women face in fundraising. Wafa Al-Abaidat, founder of Playbook, emphasizes empowering women through education and investment opportunities, highlighting the importance of persistent support in this journey.
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Female Founders Deliver Stronger Returns
- Female-led startups generate more revenue per dollar invested and burn cash more slowly than male-led peers.
- Investing in women unlocks overlooked consumer markets and drives both higher returns and broader innovation.
The Funding Gap Remains Sticky
- The gender funding gap is persistent: female-only founding teams receive only about 2–3% of global venture capital.
- Biases persist partly because senior investment decision makers remain predominantly male.
Wealth Transfer Will Boost Women's Investing Power
- Women already control a growing share of investable wealth and a major intergenerational transfer is underway.
- This shift creates both client and entrepreneurial opportunities if products and ecosystems align with women investors.