funding

Funding for women entrepreneurs declines but deal count is up

The total raised by women-founded companies in Ireland was the lowest in four years, which is largely due to a decline in investment opportunities

Shorla Oncology’s $35m raise was the largest one recorded by women-led entrepreneurs last year, Tech Ireland figures show

Irish women entrepreneurs last year raised a fraction of the record €234 million figure reported in 2022 as VC activity slumped.

But the good news is that more women-founded start-ups than ever secured investment in 2023. In addition, the numbers for early stage rounds including pre-seed, seed and Series A have held up relatively well, and the average deal sizes in these early rounds increased.

New figures released by TechIreland ahead of International Women’s Day, show €93 ...