For years we repeated the statistics: Only 2% of global venture capital goes to female founders. We have heard it so many times that it has lost its alarm capability. But for those of us building deep tech companies in emerging markets, that number isn’t a fact: it’s an operational context. It is the starting point, not the excuse.
The key is not to repeat the number, but to understand what it means to work with the knowledge that the The game starts unbalanced. And most importantly, how we change it from where we are.
Capital moves in networks
The most common narrative around raising capital for a woman-led startup tends to focus on the gap. Much less is said about this Network of relationships that supports every decision investment. The rounds are not closed in forms or “pitch decks”: they are closed in conversations, in accumulated reputation, in contexts where someone confirms that you are capable of doing what you say.
And women at the same time We start with a structural disadvantage: Later we get to the spaces where these relationships are built. Not because we don’t know, but because historically we haven’t been there.
So understanding this was one of the most strategic decisions I made as a founder You can’t build a startup from home. That you have to move. Literally. Travel, expose yourself, sit at tables where you are not yet known. It’s expensive, tiring and inconvenient; But it is also the most profitable investment in the early stages.
Moving is not entrepreneurial tourism, but education
In Latin America, we usually justify standstill with costs, distance or uncertainty. But opportunities don’t travel to your front door: they’re recognized when you’re physically there where things happen.
In my experience, invest in a move (if you don’t have the capital yet) It’s not a luxury, it’s education. It learns faster. It accelerates your understanding of your industry. It’s about getting feedback that is not contained in the reports, but in the experiences of those who have already done it.
And above all, it’s about building a network that will later support your fundraising.
The right communities are important
Victoria Costa Paz, CEO and founder of Eywa
There is a second idea that never comes up in public conversations about women and capital: It’s not enough to move within the startup bubble.
The investors who can drive the growth of a biotech (biotechnology), fintech or climate technology company are typically associated with companies, scientific institutions, regulators, laboratories, hybrid funds and technical talent. They are not all at the same events, in the same cities or in the same circles. Communities play a crucial role here.
The communities of entrepreneurs, the communities of women and especially those who connect startups with companies, as happened to me in Coffee Net, the network space created by Sofía Quilici and Gabriela Terminielli where technologies are truly validated and scaled.
Listening to other people’s experiences, understanding how decision-makers outside your immediate industry think, breaking out of entrepreneurial inbreeding: all of this expands not only your network, but also your criteria..
The statistics don’t disappear, but the margin increases. We cannot romanticize inequality. 2% are still there. But it’s also true:
- Today there is Other global programs are looking for female talent.
- Accelerators and universities open real doors, not symbolic ones.
- International communities allow access for a founder from Argentina a fund in Boston, Berlin or Singapore without intermediaries. It should be noted that companies are starting to look at science and technology seriously and not as a philanthropic act.
There is room for competition. It’s not fair, but it exists. Raising capital as a woman shouldn’t be an epic affair. Today it is like that.
I’m not writing this to reinforce the victim narrative, but to put this on the table tactical decisions that work at least in my experience:
- Invest time and money into moving before you have them.
- Build a network outside your comfort zone, especially with companies and non-traditional players.
- Quickly learn to understand the industry, not just the startup ecosystem.
- Listen to real testimonials, not empty inspirational speeches.
None of this guarantees a round. But if Guaranteed to stop playing at 2% and you start playing in the territory of those who have access to opportunities that are not published.
If we want to change the statistics, we must fewer heroic stories and more strategic decisions. And most importantly, more women are moving to where the next generation of technology is being developed.
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