THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA is regarded as a leading region for startups, dominating the field globally year after year as a top recipient of venture capital funding. But the burgeoning startup economy has dragged its feet when it comes to investing in startups run by all-female founders, according to Founders Forum Group, a collection of businesses that research startup trends.
In 2024, only 2% of venture capital invested in Silicon Valley startups went to companies with all-female founding teams, the group found. Additionally, about 12% of startups in 2025 in Silicon Valley and San Francisco were founded by women, according to the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies.
Prospera Alpha Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based fund and nonprofit investing in early-stage startups founded by women, is trying to close this gender gap.
On Tuesday in downtown San Francisco, Prospera Alpha Ventures held a gathering with dozens of female startup founders and venture capitalists. The event, called the InnovateHer Investor Summit, featured numerous speakers and served as a networking opportunity for women entrepreneurs and investors.
“There’s just not as much opportunity for women entrepreneurs,” said the nonprofit’s chairman Alfredo Coppola at the event. “We really believe that we need to do something to level the playing field.”
Grace Park, CEO for Prospera Alpha Ventures, explained the reason for the event.
“We’re really trying to create access to funding from Silicon Valley for women entrepreneurs and we brought together an ecosystem of investors,” she said in an interview. “We have 22 investors that are excited to invest in women in the room, and also startup founders and industry leaders from Google and other tech companies that are supporting women today.”
A global challenge
At the summit, women leaders in companies tied to countries across Asia and Europe described similar trends of low rates of female startup founders.
“If we look at the female founder landscape in Germany, unfortunately, only 18% of all founders were women in 2024 and all female teams only raised 1% of the total venture capital,” said Simone Friese, marketing and communications director German American Chamber of Commerce, during a panel. “We need to change that.”
“There’s just not as much opportunity for women entrepreneurs. We really believe that we need to do something to level the playing field.”
Alfredo Coppola, Prospera Alpha Ventures
The women also shared how greater barriers to entry and fewer networking opportunities for women compared to men can hinder women’s access to venture capital.
A 2024 study from Yale University found that women founders do not receive as much capital investment, not because of a lack of skill or experience, but because of their gender. One reason for the discrepancy, researchers found, was because investors who experienced poor outcomes from a woman-led startup avoided other female startups thereafter. However, when they benefitted from women founders they still didn’t invest more.
“We don’t think it is a talent problem,” said Rebecca Scheel, director of investment promotion agency Invest in Norway, in a speech. “We think it’s an access problem, access to funding opportunities and networks, so we’re actively trying to target those areas of problems.”
Across the board, speakers noted how the lack of female representation among startup founders and investors can deter other women from wanting to enter those fields.
“I really believe you need to start bottom up,” said Vladimira Cincurova, CEO of European Startup Embassy, a San Francisco-based hub that connects European and American investors and entrepreneurs. “We need to really see real role models who invested in startups, became entrepreneurs, exited startups, and then reinvest their money back to the ecosystem.”
Making their pitch
At the summit, several women-founded companies set up booths to share their products, such as muBeans, a botanical coffee alternative with zero caffeine. Attendees also sipped on cans of OoMee, a nonalcoholic beverage with a range of flavors containing marine sea plants that are supposed to support gut health and curb cravings.
There was also a competition where eight startups led by women founders competed to win a trip to another InnovateHer Investor summit in Sardinia, Italy. Each entrepreneur had a few minutes to pitch their companies to a panel of Silicon Valley investors.
Many of the startups were based on AI, such as a platform that uses an AI assistant to help connect real estate agents and buyers called Infinityy. Another startup called SmartAlpha incorporates AI assistants in ultrasounds.
The winner of the competition was Jeklin Kim, founder of GemGem Therapeutics, a gaming platform for children with neurological and developmental conditions that uses AI in rehabilitation exercises.
“My child was born with cerebral palsy,” Kim said during her pitch. “I spent a whole lot of money and time on therapy, and my kid didn’t like it either. I built this hand therapy game, which allows us to make active movements 400 times every day, which is helpful for fine motor skills.”
Kim will attend the summit in Italy held in September where she will be able to network with European investors.
“It’s important that we act now because women are emerging as a driving force as innovators and investors today,” Park said.
