Key Takeaways
- • Start-ups founded by women received just 2.3 per cent of global venture-capital funding in 2024, compared with more than 83 per cent for all-male founding teams, according to South China Morning Post.
- • Maria Chau, COO of The Women's Foundation, argues that capital should follow potential rather than gender, and that gender bias affects every stage of the funding journey.
- • Women represent only about 15 per cent of venture capitalists, which Maaike Steinebach, founder and CEO of Femtech Future, says leads to a less receptive hearing for women's ideas.
- • The funding gap extends beyond venture capital and private equity to bank loans, shaping which founders can build the next generation of innovative companies.
Summary
Start-ups founded by women received just 2.3 per cent of global venture-capital funding in 2024, against more than 83 per cent for all-male founding teams, according to a South China Morning Post report. The article frames the disparity as a capital gap that influences access to venture capital, private equity and bank loans, and by extension who is able to build the innovative companies of the future.
Maria Chau, COO of The Women's Foundation, said that capital should follow potential, not gender, but that women entrepreneurs continue to face barriers across the funding journey. She pointed to research suggesting that access to investor networks, the identity of decision-makers and the way opportunities are assessed can all shape funding outcomes. Chau described gender bias as present at every stage: it affects who gets a first meeting, the questions asked during pitches, how risk and growth potential are judged, and whether women can secure funding of comparable scale to men as their businesses grow.
Maaike Steinebach, founder and CEO of Femtech Future, which advises female-focused start-ups, said women make up only about 15 per cent of venture capitalists. In her view, this imbalance means women often receive a less receptive hearing for their ideas.
The article's sourcing is limited to the publisher's own reporting and the two expert commentators quoted, with no deal-level or fund-level data beyond the headline 2024 funding shares.
Maria Chau, COO of The Women's Foundation, said that capital should follow potential, not gender, but that women entrepreneurs continue to face barriers across the funding journey. She pointed to research suggesting that access to investor networks, the identity of decision-makers and the way opportunities are assessed can all shape funding outcomes. Chau described gender bias as present at every stage: it affects who gets a first meeting, the questions asked during pitches, how risk and growth potential are judged, and whether women can secure funding of comparable scale to men as their businesses grow.
Maaike Steinebach, founder and CEO of Femtech Future, which advises female-focused start-ups, said women make up only about 15 per cent of venture capitalists. In her view, this imbalance means women often receive a less receptive hearing for their ideas.
The article's sourcing is limited to the publisher's own reporting and the two expert commentators quoted, with no deal-level or fund-level data beyond the headline 2024 funding shares.
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