CAPITAL
Ten European funds write women's ownership into their investment rules
Companies founded solely by women received 0.5% of all capital invested in European venture-backed startups in 2024, according to PitchBook. Ten European funding vehicles now build strategies around that gap. The Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund requires a female founder to hold at least 20% of founder shares and closed its second fund at €33.3 million, more than 75% above its predecessor.
The ten vehicles diverge sharply on where they are actually heading. SISTAFUND sets a 30% founder-share threshold it describes as moving from tokenism to critical mass, while Fund F requires one woman co-founder and invests up to €600,000. CapitalT states it has no diversity mandate yet reports 84% of portfolio companies with a female, BIPOC or LGBTQ+ founder. The label women-focused covers fixed destinations and loose intentions alike.
Source: EU-Startups · September 22, 2026