Unicorn Female Founders

Ilya Strebulaev, Professor at Stanford GSB says, "6.5% of US unicorn founders are women. Out of 4,545."  He goes on to say.

Companies with at least one female founder have a 35% lower probability of reaching unicorn status than all-male teams — that's the actual regression result, controlling for the VC-backed comparison group.  When I did the same analysis several years ago, the probability was 40%. So it is moving, but very slowly. 

Read his entire LinkedIn post here. 

Female Founders Are On the Rise

Female founders are on the rise. According to a 2025 Gusto New Business Formation Report, 49% of startups in 2024 were women-led. It’s a milestone to celebrate, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story about the challenges faced by female founders.

For example, women are less likely than men to get backing for their companies. As an academic piece from the Journal of Small Business Strategy notes, the reasons are complicated: limited access to investors, assumptions of being higher credit risks, and a generally biased perception. These barriers mean more women may have to take the bootstrapping route to launch their ideas into the marketplace. 

To their credit, plenty of female entrepreneurs overcome initial funding difficulties and wind up running successful businesses.  WPO members are a great example.

Five Pieces of Advice From Successful Women Business Owners

Women business leaders are blazing a trail to success. Along the way, these women – many are Women Presidents Organization members – are demonstrating powerful tactics and traits essential to growing a sustainable business.

Let’s look at five pieces of advice from women who have risen to the top.