EY Startup-Barometer 2025: Gründerinnen und Gründer (EY Swiss Fintech / Banking Barometer)

Summary

• Out of 702 German startups receiving venture capital in 2024, only 27 had all-female founding teams, while 553 were all-male.p.2
• Startups with all-male founding teams raised €6.2 billion in 2024, representing 87% of all venture capital allocated in Germany.p.3
• Funding for startups with all-female founding teams dropped by 58% in 2024 to €43 million, which is just 1% of total investments.p.3
• AgTech recorded the highest female founder share across sectors at 25.0%, whereas FinTech/InsurTech recorded 4.5%.p.5
• The share of female founders declines as transaction sizes increase, dropping to 7.1% for deal sizes exceeding €50 million.p.6
• In the DACH region, Switzerland recorded the highest share of female founders at 14.2%, compared to 11.2% in Austria and 10.6% in Germany.p.7

Key insights

1. The share of startups in Germany with at least one female founder fell from 23% in 2023 to 21% in 2024.p.2
2. Nearly nine out of ten venture capital euros in Germany went to male-only founder teams in 2024.p.3
3. Total venture capital raised by male-only founding teams in Germany increased by 25% year-over-year in 2024.p.3
4. A total of 194 female founders were involved in funded German startup rounds in 2024.p.4
5. E-Commerce and Education follow AgTech with female founder proportions of 23.0% and 21.6%, respectively.p.5
6. Startups securing deals up to €1 million exhibited the highest female founder representation at 13.2%.p.6
7. Switzerland's funded startups contained 131 female founders out of 921 total founders in 2024.p.7