Despite persistent challenges, women founders in fintech continue to make their mark—and secure the funding to prove it.
According to new data from Tracxn, fintech was one of the top-funded sectors for women-led startups in 2024. Globally, women-led tech companies raised $29.6 billion last year—a decline of 11% from 2023—but fintech held steady among the top-performing sectors, alongside enterprise applications and life sciences.
Let’s be clear: the numbers still reflect a massive gender funding gap.
In 2024, women-founded companies received just 11.7% of total global tech funding. In fintech specifically, female-led companies secured $3.4 billion—a small fraction of the broader funding landscape. According to data from Anthemis Group, only 3.4% of fintech venture capital dollars in 2023 went to companies founded solely by women.
Despite progress, the capital still isn’t flowing equitably.
Still, that $29.6 billion speaks volumes. Amid macroeconomic headwinds and shifting investor appetites, fintech is still where women are finding traction—and thriving.
Why Fintech?
Fintech is, at its core, about access. It’s about rewriting the rules of financial services and creating more inclusive systems. That’s why so many women are finding their footing in this space: because they’ve lived the inequity—and they’re building better from that experience.
Investors are starting to notice, too. Venture-backed companies with diverse leadership teams see a 30% increase in returns on invested capital, according to McKinsey.
World Economic Forum data adds that companies with above-average diversity generate 45% of revenue from innovation—nearly double that of less-diverse peers.
And let’s not forget: women-led businesses deliver. Women founders generate more than twice as much revenue per dollar invested than their male counterparts, according to Boston Consulting Group.
The Realities Beneath the Headlines
While the funding headline might feel promising, it’s still worth digging deeper.
Late-stage funding for women-led tech companies fell 21% in 2024, while early-stage funding rose 10%—a signal that investors may be more willing to bet early, but cautious to follow through in later rounds. Seed-stage funding? Down 19% from last year.
Fourteen women-led unicorns emerged in 2024, more than double the six minted in 2023. Exit activity also increased by 10%, with companies like UK-based Darktrace (co-founded by CEO Poppy Gustafsson) and China-based Biotheus (co-founded by Joanne Sun) commanding multi-million and billion-dollar exits, respectively.
In New York, which ranked second globally for women-led tech funding in 2024, raising $1.9 billion—just behind San Francisco and ahead of London. It’s no surprise: New York is a unique blend of startup energy and institutional power, and it remains one of the most diverse entrepreneurial ecosystems in the world. This April, over 6,000 members of the fintech community will come together for New York Fintech Week, running April 21–25.
“Fintech has the potential to provide access to financial services to a broader range of people than ever before,” Amy Nauiokas, founder and CEO of Anthemis Group, told me during last year’s New York Fintech Week. “But we still need more diverse perspectives at the helm to fully realize that potential.”
What’s Next?
Here’s the bottom line: while just 2% of venture capital goes to all-women founding teams across sectors, closer to 20% goes to companies with at least one woman co-founder. And even that figure is misleading.
According to research from Anthemis, a portfolio where 50% of companies have at least one female founder doesn’t mean 50% of founders are women. In fact, achieving gender parity would mean 70% of a venture capital firm’s portfolio should have a woman on the founding team. That’s the real benchmark.
If we want to see real change, venture capitalists must do more than celebrate a few stats—they must shift who they fund, how they fund, and the structures they build around that capital.
And women founders? We’re already showing the way forward. When women lead startups, they hire 2.5x more women. If there’s a woman in both the founder and executive seat, that number jumps to 6x. That ripple effect is what drives systemic change.
It’s also why women are so well positioned for the next frontier of fintech: embedded finance. As more sectors integrate financial services—from healthcare to education to social platforms—there’s a huge opportunity to innovate beyond traditional products. Women, especially those with intersectional lived experience, are uniquely equipped to build for those underserved by legacy systems.
Research by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) reinforces this opportunity. The study found that fintech companies that understand gender differences can unlock a $31 trillion global female market—while also advancing financial inclusion.
Leadership is key here: when company leaders recognize the commercial and social value of serving women, they’re far more likely to prioritize them in strategy. According to the IFC, 58% of fintech firms with gender-forward leadership have added targeted marketing and research initiatives focused specifically on women.
The result? A competitive edge that goes beyond inclusion—it’s just smart business.
Fintech remains one of the best bets for women founders. While the funding landscape is far from equitable, the momentum is building. And the women leading this charge are not just closing the gap—they’re opening new doors.
So whether you’re a fintech founder pitching your first round or building your second unicorn, here’s the message: you belong in fintech. And this industry will be better because of you. Let’s build.
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