Female founders secured only 2% of venture capital in the U.S. in 2021, the smallest share since 2016 and a sign that efforts to diversify the famously male-dominated industry are struggling.
It was the second year in a row that women’s percentage of VC funding shrank, according to a report by research firm PitchBook. However, because total funding levels in 2021 hit all-time highs, the overall dollar value of the funding to female founders rose.
Massive, late-stage deals drove total fundraising in the U.S. to $330 billion in 2021 -- nearly doubling the industry’s previous record in 2020. Female-only founding ...