Establishing a business is never easy, but according to some female founders, things are starting to change for the better. In the past, women have encountered more obstacles than males.
Victoria Zorin, the founder of the Australian crowd analytics software company Nola Technologies, told CNBC at the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit Asia in Singapore, “It’s an amazing time to raise funding as a female founder.” Zorin was on the list of recipients this year as well.
Gusto, a company that runs a payroll, benefits, and HR platform, released a survey stating that more women are launching their own firms, making up nearly half of all new entrepreneurs in recent years.
According to the research, women owned 47% of newly established businesses in 2020, a notable increase from 29% in 2019. According to the data, that number has remained close to that level, registering 49% in 2021 and 47% in 2022, indicating a consistent trend as opposed to an isolated spike.
However, the existence of a financial vacuum is undeniable. A Pitchbook study from 2022 states that only 2.1% of venture capital investments in the United States went to companies that were started entirely by women.
According to Olivia Cotes-James, CNBC, despite recent improvements in the entrepreneurial environment that encourage women-led enterprises, discrimination against female founders persists in the funding arena. Cotes-James was listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia in 2021 and founded the menstrual wellness firm Luüna.
“I’ve been able to cite numerous situations in which you face obstacles because of your gender and are asked questions throughout the pitching process that you know a male equivalent would not ask. However, in all honesty, in my opinion, it has been or frequently is a little bit different now,” she remarked.
According to Cotes-James, fundraising got easier over time since her organization was able to show strong growth and a compelling mission.