Venture capital funding for women and Black and brown founders has historically been limited. We have been monitoring funding levels with Crunchbase to identify moments of progress and setbacks for marginalized entrepreneurs.
In 2021, Black founders experienced a peak in funding, but this declined as the market cooled and DEI measures weakened. Women, on the other hand, have maintained consistent funding around 2% in recent years. Interestingly, funding for mixed-gender teams is on the rise, suggesting that women founders may receive larger investments when partnering with male co-founders.
Stay informed about the ups and downs of funding for marginalized communities with our curated collection of stories.
Read about funding for Black founders
Funding for Black founders has been decreasing since 2021, indicating a shift in investor interest or support. Despite promises to better support Black founders after the murder of George Floyd, Crunchbase reported that in the U.S. Black founders only received 0.48% of all venture capital funding in the previous year. Efforts to increase support for Black founders are ongoing, with many calling for more opportunities, trust, and less bias.
In 2022, Black founders received just 1% of all venture funding, a decrease from the record-breaking 1.3% in 2021.
Contact Us
Do you have a tip or story to share about being a woman, person of color, or a marginalized individual in venture capital or startups? Contact Dominic-Madori Davis securely on Signal at +1 646 831 7565, or email. You can also reach out to TechCrunch via SecureDrop.
Read about funding for women founders
Funding for women founders has remained steady, while mixed-gender teams are seeing an increase in funding. Solo women founders seem to face more challenges in raising capital compared to their counterparts in mixed-gender teams.
Despite some fluctuations, funding for solo women founders has not seen significant changes.
Read about funding for other marginalized groups
In addition to Black founders and women, other communities also struggle to secure investor funding. Latino founders encounter difficulties similar to those faced by Black founders, while members of the LGBTQ community also face challenges. Crunchbase has started tracking venture capital dollars allocated to LGBTQ+ founders to gather more data.
Experts, investors, and founders have shared varied thoughts on funding levels for marginalized groups, highlighting the need for more equitable access to funding.
Read the view from beyond the U.S.
Marginalized founders in Europe have shared their fundraising experiences and aspirations to enter the U.S. market despite challenges faced by minorities in the U.S.
