YCF Diversity Data Report – 2018-2023

Key findings include:

• In 2023, the median amount raised by women per round of funding was £254k compared to exactly £1 million per round for men, requiring women to conduct almost four times the number of rounds to reach the same funding amount.

• Of the investor groups, Equity Gap is Scotland’s most frequent backer of women-owned businesses, backing 30% of the rounds that took place from 2018-2023. Eos provided the greatest funding in terms of total amount, with the 4 rounds led or supported by Eos totalling £11.6m

• In six years, 31 companies that were owned and controlled by women were backed through equity investment, across 39 rounds (not including crowdfunding).

• The best performing year in terms of the proportion of total funding that went to women was 2023, with 2.6p of every pound.

YCF Diversity Data Report – 2018-2023