Finance’s outdated view of women holding back female founders

Kathy Harvey is Associate Dean for Global Networks and Innovation at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and a Fellow of Keble College. (Credit: courtesy of University of Oxford)

Women make up around half of the world’s population. There is no field of endeavour in which women are not achieving, from tech to fashion to AI. And yet, the world of finance still does not back women entrepreneurs or support female-led businesses. Recent data from the global financing experts at PitchBook showed that, in 2023, just 2.1% of global venture capital went to women. That was not an unusual year.

Since 2008, European businesses led by men and women receive 10x more funding than businesses led solely by women. This is despite the case that Boston Consulting Group found women deliver more than 10% more cumulative revenue over five years.