IDC European Woman in Venture Capital

EUROPEAN WOMEN IN VC IDC #EUR148997722 © IDC 2022 73 The current situation in which we invest in a homogeneous group of entrepreneurs is problematic. We not only leave a lot of opportunity on the table, but also a lot of unused potential. We need to create a level playing field with equal opportunity for everybody. There is no one silver bullet. Funding is a key piece of the puzzle, but work needs to happen in several areas concurrently — education, the workplace and, last but not least, in the investment firms themselves. It is an assumption that there is not enough female talent — there is. However, you do need to proactively search for it. Make sure that your candidate list always has several women on it and do not accept recruitment firms that have not shortlisted any females. Our companies led by female CEOs and Chairs (iOnctura, Cardior, Precirix, Draupnir) generally manage to get a diverse set of candidates for their searches — makes you think twice when someone tells you that the talent is not available. JANNEKE NIESSEN Co-founder CapitalT ROEL BULTHUIS Managing Partner, Inkef Capital