However, Zurich isn’t one of the leading female ecosystems in the Old Continent. Northern Europe shines, as Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm (once again) pave the way to equality.
Oslo, the capital of Norway, has 10 percent of female-focused events and 26 percent of female founders. Those are promising numbers for a relatively small city, whose population doesn’t surpass 700,000 people. In comparison, the renowned startup hub Berlin which has rather sobering numbers: 7 percent of female-focused events and 18 percent of female founders. The capital of Germany, with almost 4 million inhabitants is outperformed by smaller ecosystems.
Navigating the European map south to the Mediterranean Sea, Lisbon is doing surprisingly well. We find it among the “lucky ones” of startup ecosystems with a high percentage of female entrepreneurs, despite rather weak support. In the capital of Portugal, 21 percent of startuppers are women.
Our numbers tell us that high investments don’t always result in more female startups. Women thrive in ecosystems which create opportunities, not barriers.