A recent research by the Businessfinancing.co.uk, a business finance news publisher, discovered that female startup founders are more likely to experience negative attitudes during funding pitches. This happens at a disproportionately larger scale compared to their male counterparts.
This claim is supported by a report by the Academy of Management entitled “We Ask Men to Win and Women Not to Lose: Closing the Gender Gap in Startup Funding”. The report “proposes that the gap originates with a gender bias in the questions that investors pose to entrepreneurs”.
It states that female founders are more likely to be asked during funding rounds about risks and losses while men are asked promotion-focused questions. This bias puts the female founders at a significant disadvantage when raising capital for their companies.
However, this gender gap needs to be addressed as it was discovered by various sources that female founders in reality deliver higher profits. In addition, they are more likely to run a socially responsible business as they are driven by ideas more than money which is actually better for long-term success.
BusinessFinancing.co.uk analysed data from the business information resource Crunchbase to identify the top female founders in Asia and created this map to show who they are and what they do.
Lucy Peng as Top Female Founder In The World
Lucy Peng is a self-made female billionaire who made her fortune when she co-founded China-based e-commerce giant Alibaba with Jack Ma back in 1999. Lucy defied odds when she managed to raise a total of US$22 billion in funding, earning a spot at the top of the female founders in the world list according to a recent research by BusinessFinancing.
As founder of the Ant Financial Services Group, a subsidiary of Alibaba, the company set the record for the world’s largest private fundraising at US$4.5 billion which placed it at an approximately US$60 billion valuation under her guidance. In addition to that, two years back Lucy had also served as the CEO of Lazada Group for less than a year before stepping down.
She has thrived in all her roles and displayed strong leadership, making her a source of inspiration for female founders bogged down by obstacles due to their gender.
Here is a preview of the top 10 female founders in the world:
| Funding (USD) | Country | Founder | Company (Industry) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. $ 22 billion | China | Lucy Peng | Ant (Financial) |
| 2. $ 19.5 billion | USA | Rebekah Neumann | The We Company (Real Estate) |
| 3. $ 9.9 billion | Singapore | Tan Hooi Ling | Grab (Transportation) |
| 4. $ 1.4 billion | Australia | Kate Keenan | Judo Bank (FinTech) |
| 5. $ 1.2 billion | UK | Victoria van Lennep | Lendable (FinTech) |
| 6. $ 1.1 billion | Brazil | Cristina Junqueira | Nubank (FinTech) |
| 7. $ 581 million | Hong Kong | Frances Kang | WeLab (FinTech) |
| 8. $ 282 million | South Korea | Sophie Kim | Market Kurly (Agro & Food) |
| 9. $ 278 million | Switzerland | Ilise Lombardo | Arvelle Therapeutics (Biotech & Health) |
| 10. $ 260 million | Lithuania | Milda Mitkute | Vinted (E-Commerce) |
