9% of the startups created in Catalonia have a woman as the only entrepreneur. The figure is far from being an achievement of gender equality, but even so, the Catalan community is the leading autonomous community in this indicator; ahead of others like Madrid, where the number of startups led only by women is 6%.
This is one of the conclusions of the Entrepreneurship Map 2023 that was presented this Monday at the Madrid South Summit in collaboration with IE University.
The study confirms that the gender gap in the entrepreneurial ecosystem has remained for years at 80% of men compared to 20% of women, despite the fact that the profiles of both are very similar. The average is 32 years old for men and 35 years for women, with almost all entrepreneurs having university studies, and even them with greater additional qualifications such as master's degrees and postgraduate courses.
Another major gender difference that can be seen in the entrepreneurial environment is that which refers to the origin of funds. Women barely get 7% of the financing for their first projects from private funds and they use public funds and aid 5% more than men. Where the percentages are getting closer is in the love of entrepreneurship. 43% of women are already joining the trend of serial entrepreneurship. That is, setting up one company after another. In men, the percentage rises to 61%.
