AFS' Position on the Action Plan for Women in Research, Innovation and Startups

Capital is one of the most important drivers of startup growth. Yet for women founders in Europe, accessing the funding needed to expand and compete remains a major challenge.

Allied For Startups has contributed to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence on the Action Plan for Women in Research, Innovation and Startups, urging measures that address the structural issues holding back women-led businesses.

The challenge is not the quality of ideas. Women are launching companies that are innovative, scalable, and competitive on a global level. The problem lies in how investment decisions are made. Funding often depends on personal connections, investor familiarity, and traditional evaluation criteria that favour founders who fit historical patterns. As a result, women-led startups struggle to move from early-stage funding to growth rounds, even when their performance is comparable to male-led teams.

Our recommendations are clear:

• Reporting of EU-backed investments should highlight trends by founder gender, so gaps are visible and measurable;
• Growth-focused financing must be designed to reach women-led startups across all regions, not just the main innovation hubs;
• Investor access should be based on clear and structured processes, reducing reliance on informal introductions;
• Founder career continuity, including standardized arrangements for parental leave, should be supported to ensure long-term participation.

Ensuring that women founders can access the capital needed to scale is not only a question of fairness, it is also about strengthening Europe’s innovation capacity. When more startups can reach growth stages, attract investment, and generate successful exits, the entire ecosystem becomes stronger.

Allied For Startups looks forward to continuing to work with the European Commission and stakeholders across the ecosystem to help translate these priorities into practical improvements for Europe’s startup environment.