Despite meaningful awareness and ecosystem growth, women founders still face deep structural barriers to funding in Europe.
Startups founded solely by women received just ~2.3% of global VC funding in 2024–2025, while mixed-gender teams raised around 14.1% (Founders Forum Group, 2025).
And while more capital than ever is entering the European startup ecosystem, access is not improving evenly. According to the Female Innovation Index 2025, European female founders raised €5.76B in 2024, representing only ~12% of all capital deployed — a proportion that has barely shifted over the last five years. Meanwhile, early-stage rounds under €4M — critical to helping founders get to product-market-fit — declined by nearly 30%, while late-stage mega-rounds grew by more than 40%.
The result is a widening gap:
The earliest, most formative stages — where founders need belief capital — are where women face the steepest uphill climb.
This is not simply a diversity issue.
It is a missed market and innovation opportunity.
Why This Matters to Triple B
The success of Peachies, Snuggs, and Doughlicious shows what becomes possible when women are backed with belief, capital, and the space to build.
These founders are not just growing companies: they are reimagining product categories, influencing cultural behavior, and designing markets around real human need.
- Peachies – Co-founded by Rima Suppan & Morgan Mixon, redefining babycare through thoughtful design and sustainable materials.
- Snuggs – Founded by Linda Šejdová, Europe’s leading period underwear brand, shifting the menstrual care conversation toward dignity and comfort.
- Doughlicious – Founded by Kathryn Bricken, transforming cookie dough into a clean-label, global indulgence brand.
The Reality of Raising Capital — In Their Words
For many women founders, the fundraising room still feels uneven.
As Rima shared:
“As a woman founder, you feel that pressure to be sharper - on the numbers, on the strategy, on everything. The instinct is to prove how much you know, but we've learned that focus and restraint are more powerful. Say your key points, own the silence, and let the investor sit with it. You're then more in control of what they remember, and it’s usually only two or three things."
That clarity and confidence — naming value and letting it stand — is part of what has shaped Peachies’ trajectory.
Her co-founder Morgan adds a reframing:
“For women founders, play to your strengths - there isn’t one right way to raise. The narrative often feels narrow, but there are a million paths to capital. Look beyond VC, beyond equity, even beyond your own market. It’s also as much about interviewing investors for strategic fit as it is them assessing you. Fundraising is like dating - if they don’t give you energy, don’t waste your time.”
Fundraising not as appeal, but alignment.
This echoes Kathryn’s experience:
“I find it challenging that most Traditional VC networks are often male-dominated and to overcome this I am part of many female founder groups, I attend women-focused investor events, and build relationships so I am prepared for these challenges during a fundraise.”
And she offers a clear call to investors:
“The 12% funding statistic isn't just a fairness issue - it's a massive missed opportunity. Women-led startups often address underserved markets and demonstrate strong capital efficiency. Expanding due diligence processes to reduce unconscious bias, diversifying investment teams, and actively sourcing deals from female founder networks isn't just the right thing to do - it's smart business that can unlock significant returns.”
Closing the Gap Is a Choice
Investment outcomes are shaped by who gets the microphone, who gets listened to, and who gets funded early enough to matter.
At Triple B, our role is simple:
We back founders who build markets, shape culture, and move the world forward.
Not because they “should” be included: but because they are already leading the future of product, consumer, and brand behavior.
When women founders succeed:
- Industries shift
- Families, communities, and consumers benefit
- Entire categories mature more thoughtfully
- And younger founders see what is possible
This is the multiplier.
The opportunity is already here.
We simply have to fund it.
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