Europe’s First Femtech Unicorn | LinkedIn

Yesterday, a company founded by men, led by men, and funded by men became the first WOMEN-owned health app to achieve unicorn status. 👇 If that doesn’t tell you everything that’s wrong with the ecosystem, I don’t know what will. Let me explain. Raising money as a female founder is nearly impossible because only 2% of funding goes to women (even though they average a higher return on your dollar). Why? Because women are discriminated against at every step of the process. Please remember, this isn’t an opinion, it’s a fact. There’s been an overwhelming amount of research on the subject — all showing the same trends. I’ve thrown some examples in the comments to make this post readable. I get it, the topic of bias is uncomfortable. Because while we’re acknowledging it, we’re also acknowledging that the people in power, the founders who raise money, etc., are often not the most qualified. They’re simply the most privileged. Of course, this isn’t just a gender issue. And it’s also true for me. Would I have raised the same amount of money if I weren’t white? Probably not. We all have a role to play in changing these structures. It starts with educating, speaking out, and supporting those who challenge the status quo. Because that is scary as hell. And finally, a message to VCs: 50% of the population is not qualified to make decisions that affect 100% of the population. Right now, 83% of investment committees are not women. Please do better.