IDC European Woman in Venture Capital

EUROPEAN WOMEN IN VC IDC #EUR148997722 © IDC 2022 14 As the world economy has started to emerge from the upheaval of the pandemic, the accelerated pace of structural change has become more and more obvious. While economic efficiency has always depended on the right person in the right job at the right time, the nature of the current economic upheaval has made diversity of thinking and meritocratic employment ever more vital. With so much change in the wider world, the lack of change in the world of venture capital is especially disheartening. The process of change should be accelerating the diversity of managing and allocating capital, and instead there appears to be stagnation. The evidence seems to suggest that there are structural barriers within the industry. Venture capital is attracting women joiners, but is then throwing away the talent it hires as women fail to progress to the most senior positions. This strongly hints at an internal bias, which must be overcome to lower risk and increase returns. PAUL DONOVAN Chief Economist, UBS Global Wealth Management WOMEN I EUROPEA ENTURE CAPITAL