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.

About European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank is the world's biggest multilateral lender. The only bank owned by and representing the interests of the EU countries, the EIB finances Europe's economic growth. Over six decades the Bank has backed start-ups like Skype and massive schemes like the Øresund Bridge linking Sweden and Denmark. Headquartered in Luxembourg, the EIB Group includes the European Investment Fund, a specialist financer of small and medium-sized enterprises.