In the venture capital market, only 15% of investors are women

More than €100 billion invested in European start-ups in just one year means that Europe's venture capital sector has seen record growth in 2021. These investments allowed more than 100 unicorn start-ups to emerge in the region and contributed to a large increase in their number by early 2022.

Despite such stunning successes, the future still presents challenges, especially in the context of gender diversity. At the investor level, gender inequalities are very visible. Surveys and analysis of existing data from more than 400 investment firms with at least €25 million in assets under management (AUM) indicate that, on average, 85 percent of VC investors are men and only 15 percent are women. An analysis of actual investment potential (firepower) shows that women managers have less AUM assets under management (9 percent in total compared to 91 percent for men), resulting in them investing smaller amounts.

"The increase in the number of large funds investing in biotech and science projects in certain regions of Europe is a sign of coming change, heralding an increase in the amount of capital in the hands of female investors and the formation of more diverse investment teams," Kinga Stanisławska, co-founder of the European Women in VC initiative, said.

(WBJ)