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UK leads Europe for female founder VC funding, but gender gap remains vast

UK female founders
Image credit: Female Foundry

The UK had one of the highest percentage of venture capital funds invested in startups with female founders in Europe last year, according to a new report, but male-founded companies continue to receive the overwhelming majority of investment.

The ‘State of Gender Diversity in European Venture 2024’ report from Female Foundry revealed that 16% of VC investment in the UK went to startups where at least one founder was a woman, more than any other European nation apart from Luxembourg.

While female-founded companies in Luxembourg raised 40% of their country’s total VC funding by deal value, this was skewed by two large rounds.

Excluding Luxembourg, Denmark took the second spot, trailing behind the UK with 15%.

According to the report, female founders and fund managers in the UK and the rest of Europe showed great resilience amid the challenging macroeconomic environment....