It’s no surprise to anyone that female founders have historically lacked the same access to startup capital as their male counterparts. In a 2018 BCG article, it was noted that when females pitch their ideas to investors, they receive $1 million less in funding, but their companies generate more revenue than companies founded by men. And a 2019 BCG article indicated a staggering $2.5 to $5 trillion (yes, with a “T”) could be added to the global economy if females participated equally as entrepreneurs.
There are some positive data points, though. Eighty-three of the 595 (or 14%) of the new “unicorn” companies (those with a valuation exceeding $1B) added in 2021 were founded or co-founded by women, according toCrunchbase. When the 30-year average for the amount of venture capital received by females is 2.4% — which has flatlined in recent yearsaccording to a Harvard study— that means females are adding companies to the roster of unicorns at a disproportionately higher rate than men.
At HealthTech Arkansas, we’re proud of the women founders of our cohort companies. Since we launched in 2018, 29% of our cohort companies are female-founded or co-founded. And we do everything we can to promote and encourage women innovators in our Arkansas-based health systems. It’s not only the right thing to do, but it’s also good for our investors!