Funding the Future: Why Female-Led Startups Still Struggle for Investment

Despite clear evidence that female-led startups generate strong financial returns, only 1% of VC funding in Europe goes to women-only teams. In this episode, Tanya Suarez, Chair of the Board at GENDEX, joins us to uncover the systemic barriers women founders face in accessing capital—and how data-driven insights can push for change.
GENDEX is more than just a report; it’s a dashboard that tracks gender diversity across the deep tech pipeline, revealing where women drop out and why. Tanya explains how biases in VC funding, lack of exposure to investors, and entrenched industry norms are holding women back—and why changing the system is not just a DEI initiative, but an economic necessity.
With female-led IPOs valued at twice the average of male-led exits, we explore how investors and policymakers can harness data to close the funding gap, drive better decision-making, and create a more inclusive startup ecosystem.

Tech Talks Podcast 

Tech Talks is a podcast that probes the minds of tech leaders, hosted by Technology Evangelist David Savage. Each week, the show releases three episodes with new guests, covering the latest tech news, exploring new products and cultural transformations that drive the tech industry.

Founded in 2015 Tech Talks has published over 650 episodes and attracts over 18,500 streams a month from a global audience. The podcast offers insights and ideas from leading technologists on culture, innovation, finance, growth, sustainability, and more, providing a platform for the c-suite, founders, and senior figures to hear from others facing similar challenges and tap into a wider community.

Find out more about Tech Talks here.