The Spanish entrepreneurial ecosystem advances towards a more inclusive and diverse model. In 2024, 51% Of the Spanish startups they had a woman like CEOexceeding for the first time the percentage of men in this position. This is revealed by the 2024 entrepreneurship mapprepared by South Summit and IE Universitywhich highlights sustained growth of female leadership in new technology and digital companies.
Despite this news, the report highlights that the 59% of startups are still founded by men, while only 10% are exclusively feminine initiatives. However, the figure involves a 4 percentage progress compared to 2022, which reflects that women They are increasingly present in the creation of innovative projects. In addition, the Startups led by women They present better economic results In terms of income, a fact that reinforces the idea that promoting diversity can have a positive impact on the profitability of companies.
Sustained growth of female leadership
The advance of women in the entrepreneurial ecosystem It also shows in strategic decision making. In 2023, 28% of startups founded only by women had a man CEO, but in 2024 that figure was reduced to 8%, reflecting how the entrepreneurs have assumed the leadership of their own projects.
In addition, economic success accompanies this evolution. According to the report, 11% of the Startups founded only by women generate between 150,000 and 500,000 euros a year, exceeding 9% of companies created exclusively by men. This data shows that when women manage to consolidate their projects, their results can be even better than those of their male counterparts.
However, not everything is positive. The gender gap It is still present in access to financing and in the occupation of certain technical positions. 18% of the founders do not occupy management positions in their own companies, compared to 11% of men. And in key positions such as CTO, the female presence remains very small, reaching only 5% compared to 17% of men.
Women gain space in technology and software
Another relevant fact is the growth of female presence in traditionally masculine industries, such as Software development. In 2023, this sector was the eighth with the greatest representation of entrepreneurial women, but in 2024 it has climbed to fourth place.
This advance is especially significant if one takes into account that, historically, women have faced greater entry barriers to the technological field. However, initiatives for supporting female talent, such as wa4steam.com or female startup leaders help reduce this gap.
According to María Benjumeafounder of South Summit, “the growth of the number of Startups founded exclusively by women not only contributes to the equal opportunitiesbut also strengthens the Competitiveness and the innovation in the sector ”. This statement values that, in addition to being a matter of equity, female inclusion provides new perspectives and approaches that enrich the Spanish innovative ecosystem.
Financing and support networks, the keys to consolidate the change
One of the main challenges that face the Entrepreneurs is access to financing. According to the entrepreneurship map, women -led startups usually receive less initial investment than those led by men, which limits their scalability capacity. This situation is not exclusive to Spain and is observed generalized in entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world.
Eva García Ramosco -founder and CEO of Wivi Visioncompany that uses technology and AI to improve people's visual health, underlines the importance of having support networks Specific for entrepreneurs. “In my experience, finding financing as a woman can be an additional challenge, but There are programs and networks that help make visible female talent Already generate trust among investors, ”he says. Its testimony reflects the importance of building ecosystems that foster collaboration and support between entrepreneurs.
The report also reveals that many entrepreneurial women, even when they are founding, fail to access key management positions. This suggests that Biases still persist and cultural obstacles that slow the full development of their potential. However, The general trend is optimisticand the fact that more than half of the Spanish startups are directed by women is a clear symptom that the ecosystem is changing.
Photo: Flux
