Despite progress in recent years, women continue to be underrepresented at the highest levels of business, particularly in venture capital and corporate leadership. According to the latest McKinsey Women in the Workplace report, women hold just 29% of C-suite roles, a figure that underscores persistent gender gaps in senior management. The report also highlights early-stage disparities: only 21% of entry-level women are encouraged to use AI tools by managers, compared with 33% of men, limiting their opportunities to leverage emerging technologies for career growth.
Adding to these structural challenges, some companies are scaling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, while policy actions in the U.S.—including former President Donald Trump’s efforts to target DEI programs—threaten to slow the momentum toward gender parity. Venture capital firms and investors caution that such setbacks could widen the gender gap, particularly in funding for women-led startups.
In Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the challenges are even more pronounced. Since 2008, women-founded startups in Europe have raised €8.8 billion across 5,933 deals, but in countries such as Serbia, Latvia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Ukraine, publicly announced VC investments in women-led companies remain rare. Even ventures with at least one female co-founder lag behind their Western and Scandinavian counterparts.
Daiva Rakauskaitė, CFA and partner at Aneli Capital, which supports CEE startups, explains the systemic barriers: “VC is still a relationship-driven industry dominated by men. Fewer women founders and more conservative investors in this region limit the opportunities to support female-led companies. Women should boldly enter sectors traditionally targeted by VCs—diverse teams create more value, and this is where untapped potential lies.”
Research reinforces her point. A Harvard Business School study found that VC firms with 10% more female investment hires deliver more successful portfolio outcomes and 9.7% more profitable exits. Similarly, Grant Thornton reports that diversity strategies increase innovation and cultural value within organizations.
Rakauskaitė emphasizes in a press release that gender should not be a limiting factor: “Founders must focus on results and team strength. The future of diversity depends on managers’ actions to foster equitable environments where talent, regardless of gender, is recognized and nurtured. This is how industries—including VC—unlock long-term value.”