IDC European Woman in Venture Capital

EUROPEAN WOMEN IN VC IDC #EUR148997722 © IDC 2022 44 Understanding that gender smart investment is exactly what it says: smart, should be obvious by now. More diverse teams have a strong link to a company’s financial performance, and such teams are associated with higher focus on sustainability. As this report points out, women founders are driving positive impact in many verticals critical to our societies — when it comes to climate and sustainability, as well as education and healthcare. Similar conclusions are also found in our own EIB study on Funding women entrepreneurs. Yet, the funding gap persists and the lack of progress requiring our attention is worrying. Looking at the VC funds, while the data shows a persistent male dominance in senior ranks, more women are found in junior ranks. While this may be a positive trend, it could also suggest that women still face the (in)famous glass ceiling. We must take action.   In my Innovation Finance Advisory team at the EIB, we understand the challenges and we are stepping up our efforts to provide advisory support to improve access to finance for women entrepreneurs and fund managers to boost gender equality and break the glass ceiling once for all.   SHIVA DUSTDAR Head of Innovation Finance Advisory at the European Investment Bank