Monday, June 08, 2026

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.

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