EIT study finds underrepresentation of women in deep-tech start-ups

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has published a study on 'Women Founders in European Deep Tech Start-ups'. The study was presented on 18 November 2024 at the EIT INNOVEIT Conference in Helsinki and was carried out among 7,165 start-ups across 37 countries. The study finds that the percentage of women founders in deep tech has doubled since 2010, however, women remain underrepresented in the field at 17.4% (average for 2010-2022) of all deep tech start-ups. It also reveals that women founders in the field receive less total funding compared with men founders. According to the study, women are underrepresented in deep tech start-ups, with less than one quarter (24%) of deep tech start-ups created in 2022 having at least one woman in the founding team.

Amongst other issues, the study finds that women face significant funding challenges compared with their male counterparts. On average, deep tech start-ups with at least one woman founder receive less total funding, less funding per round, and smaller first rounds. Women-founded deep tech startups receive significantly less funding compared to those founded by men. At the seed stage, women-led startups secure only 15% of funding, while men-led startups take the remaining 85%. For early and late-stage venture capital, women-founded startups receive just 11% of the total investment, with 89% going to men-led companies. Women also face barriers to entering deep tech compared with other fields.

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EIT study: Women Founders in European Deep Tech Startups: Main Findings Report