E133: Women Build — Why Don’t They Get Funded?

About this episode

This episode explores the funding challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the Nordics and the factors influencing their confidence and readiness to raise funds.

There’s a pattern many people have seen before: men apply when they meet around 60% of the requirements, while women often wait until they reach 100%. It doesn’t just show up in job applications. It shows up in who decides to build - and who feels ready to raise. This episode takes a closer look at the Funded 2025 report, covering 219 women-founded companies across the Nordics. On the surface, things are improving - more founders, more deals, more activity. But underneath, the story is more complex. Women are entering the system. They’re just not moving through it at the same pace. So this is not only about funding. It’s about confidence, signals, and the environments that shape who steps forward - and who holds back. Because the real question isn’t whether women can raise. It’s why they don’t reach the same stage. This episode was created referring to The State of Nordic Women-Founded Startups 2025 report by Funded. You can access it here: https://www.evenfounders.com/funded-2025-report Hosted by Zivile (Zivi) Einikyte: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zivileeinikyte/ Chapters: 00:00 The Confidence Gap and Its Impact on Women Entrepreneurs 01:04 Exploring the Funded Report: Key…

People in this episode

Host: Zivile (Zivi) Einikyte

Topics covered

• women entrepreneurs
• funding challenges
• confidence gap
• Nordic startups
• gender disparity
• business funding

Keywords

• women funding
• entrepreneurship
• Nordic women founders
• funding landscape
• confidence gap
• business growth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Funded

Books & works: The State of Nordic Women-Founded Startups 2025 report

Places: Nordics

More episodes of Perception Paradox with Zivile (Zivi) Ein

• E139: Behind the MC mic - Conversations from South Summit Madrid · June 11, 2026 · 23 min
• [paradox bytes] What makes community stick with Ricardo Mesquita, Endeavor Portugal · June 9, 2026 · 4 min
• E138: Why Portugal's Best Companies Haven't Been Built Yet | Ricardo Mesquita, Endeavor · June 8, 2026 · 39 min
• [paradox bytes] He Had A Stroke At 29. Here's How He Rebuilt His Life. | Samuel Barreto · June 6, 2026 · 24 min
• E137: I Had It All. Then My Brain Had Other Plans - Samuel Barreto · May 25, 2026 · 1h 11m
• [paradox bytes] From Broken Lab Machines to Space Lasers with Dr Duncan Casey · May 21, 2026 · 10 min