Financial and policy measures are needed to improve access-to-finance conditions for women-led companies.

EIB's InnovFin Advisory assesses the access-to-risk-capital conditions for women-driven companies in Europe in comparison to mainly the US. While women-led companies still account for a small portion of deal flow and overall volume invested, the rate of growth has increased. Nevertheless, structural inequalities and persistent biases hinder the transition to a better functioning funding environment.

The study puts forth a number of innovation finance and policy related recommendations. Restarting the EU economy after the coronavirus pandemic provides a unique opportunity to include the gender dimension.