Only 14% of Portuguese startups founded by women

In Portugal just 14% of more than 4,000 startups were founded or are led by women.

And in 2024 of the €48Bn of venture capital raised within the European startup ecosystem, only 12% was channelled to companies founded by women according to the online news source ECO.

“The small number of female startup founders does not reflect a lack of talent or ambition, but rather structural barriers that hinder their presence in the entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said Daniela Simões, CEO and co-founder of miio, an electric mobility startup operating in seven markets, including Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, with about 290,000 positions and more than 350,000 registered users in its electric vehicle charging application.

Data from the latest Mastercard study seems to indicate that women do not effectively lack ambition to create their own business, particularly among younger generations: 57% identify themselves as entrepreneurs — above the European average of 18% — with 39% saying they have plans to move forward with opening their own business, a figure that rises to 63% in the case of generation Z women.

And where do you want to start a business? Education (15%), online commerce (14%) and hospitality and leisure (12%). Only 4% point to the technology and information technology sector (vs 15% of men), according to the study carried out in 41 countries, including Portugal, in a sample of 42,500 people (21,000 in Europe, 1,000 in Portugal), of which 4,300 entrepreneurs/founders (1,830 in Europe, 100 in Portugal).

Despite this entrepreneurial eagerness, more than a third of women (35%) believe they do not have the possibility to open their company, with capital being pointed out by more than half (57%) as the main reason.