Advancing Diversity in Deeptech – EAIS24 Summary

EAIS24 was privileged to feature the “Women in Deep Tech and Investment” panel powered by Women TechEU. Prominent speakers such as: Brigitte Baumann, Founder of Efino, Clare McGee, Founder of Awaken Hub & Awaken Angels and partner at Women TechEU, Svenja Lassen, Country Managing Director at Gateway Ventures and moderator Christine Bjärkby, Founder and Board Member at SweBAN, provided actionable insights and solutions for creating a more diversified presence of women in deeptech and angel investing.

Significant points were brought forward during the session, a core one being the large disparity in venture funding allocated to women entrepreneurs, with women-led startups receiving only 3% of total venture capital. This underinvestment is compounded by the scarcity of women in leadership roles within deep tech, a field that already faces challenges due to its high-risk and heavily innovation based infrastructure. Panellists also discussed how inherent biases paired with a tendency for women to avoid high risk ventures, often play an additional role in limiting access to women in both funding and career growth opportunities within the sector.

The conversation continued to explore how women founders’ approach to investment decisions sometimes differs from traditional methods, putting sustainability and social impact first before short term gains. This approach would theoretically align investment portfolios with long term societal benefits and promote long term stability. Brigitte Baumann noted that this mindset would also present as a vital opportunity to bolster support for women founded businesses and position women as key contributors to sustainable innovation.

Women TechEU tackles this issue head on by offering grant funding and mentorship specifically for women-led tech ventures. Clare McGee happily shared that the response towards the program has been very positive, with over 800 applications submitted in its initial two rounds alone. The initiative provides 75k of grant free funding plus a 6 month acceleration programme to 160 women led deep tech startups. You can learn more about it here: https://womentecheurope.eu/about/

Beyond financing, the panel emphasized on the importance of education, visibility, and networking in fostering gender diversity. Targeted programs that equip women with entrepreneurial and investment skills as well as exposure to angel networks are crucial. Furthermore, the availability of role models and mentors within the sector is critical as successful examples encourage more women to envision and pursue careers in the field.

The panel concluded by affirming that for deep tech to thrive as a sustainable and impactful industry it needs to be mindful of the current gender gap issue and open its doors for diverse perspectives along with new inclusive support structures. This will allow the industry to move closer towards a balanced and dynamic future.