Idea
Every successful company first started as an idea.
Without ideas, there is no investment. Without investment, there is no innovation.
Explore which sectors attract the most female founders and what motivates them to pursue entrepreneurship.
Enterprise software, marketing, and education are the most popular sectors for new female-founded companies
Key sectors of companies created in 2024
Europe
gender-agnostic
12%
Enterprise Software
13%
Enterprise Software
5%
Recruitment
6%
Energy
6%
Beauty
11%
Marketing
8%
Marketing
9%
Health
8%
Fintech
6%
Education
7%
Recruitment
9%
Education
6%
Food
6%
Fintech
female-founded
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'My journey began in public health, AI, and mathematics. In Washington, DC, I studied addiction patterns in African American communities. I met my co-founder through an entrepreneur. With her expertise in pharmacy, chemical engineering, and AI pharmacology, we saw an opportunity to better visualise how drugs affect the brain—setting us on a path to disrupt the traditional pharmaceutical model.'
Iris Maréchal
Theremia, France
Raised a €3m Seed round in November
A problem to solve and a drive to innovate are the biggest motivators for female founders to start their companies
What motivated you to start your company?
female founders
A problem to solve
Drive to innovate
Passion for industry
Societal impact
Personal growth
Desire for independence
Financial goals
Frustration with my job
Fulfilling legacy
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80%
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50%
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42%
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41%
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34%
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27%
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18%
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11%
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10%
early
growth
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69%
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43%
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24%
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42%
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35%
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22%
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5%
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20%
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13%
Investor appetite for emerging tech is growing among both VC and angel investors
Compared to 12 months ago, has there been any change in your appetite to invest in companies leveraging emerging technologies?
angel investors
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10%
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34%
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36%
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18%
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3%
VC investors
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21%
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35%
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44%
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0%
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0%
Significantly higher
Higher
No change
Less
Significantly less
'I never aimed at becoming a founder.
My work has spanned various aspects of building quantum tech, including writing the national agenda for quantum technology in the Netherlands. Transitioning from technology development at universities to the startup space felt like a natural progression, and I fully embraced it!'
Ingrid Romijn
Q*BIRD, Netherlands
Raised €2.5m in May
8%
Enterprise
Software
7%
Food
9%
Health
9%
Fashion
8%
Marketing
7%
Education
7%
Beauty
Health and enterprise software leading sectors for unfunded and non-VC backed female-founded companies
Key sectors of unfunded or funded but non-VC backed female-founded companies
Europe
Coming up
Innovation
idea + capital
What does the funding landscape for female entrepreneurs in Europe look like, and how is it evolving?