A Path to Sustainability
Unlock Female Entrepreneurship in Switzerland
Switzerland is a global leader in innovation. At FE+MALE Think Tank, we ensure this ecosystem thrives for everyone. By bridging the gap between talent and capital, our Roadmap 2026-2030 outlines how we aim to collaborate across the ecosystem to turn research into action, making entrepreneurship more accessible for founders today and in the future.
The Challenge
While Switzerland is home to one of the world’s most advanced innovation ecosystems, entrepreneurial potential and access to capital remain unevenly distributed due to structural barriers rather than a lack of talent or ambition. The venture capital market reached CHF 2.95 billion in 2025 – a 23.9% year-on-year increase – yet the allocation of this capital remains structurally uneven. Despite the demonstrated revenue efficiency of female-led ventures, women represented only 14% of startup founders in 2024, with female-only founding teams accounting for just 7% and mixed-gender teams for 17.6%. This systemic capital allocation failure misprices risk, limits the diversity and resilience of ventures, and results in a significant “lost opportunity” for the Swiss economy.
Source: EY Startup Barometer Switzerland 2025.
Our Role
Rather than aiming to change the entire system alone, we act as a system orchestrator and connector. We translate research into actionable frameworks, bringing together diverse stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, investors, academia, and policymakers, to create space for honest dialogue and shared solutions. We help move the ecosystem from intuition-based funding toward data-driven, meritocratic capital allocation. We support reducing market fragmentation by promoting transparency and bias-reduction metrics to enhance institutional investment processes.
Our Strategic Aim
We participate in addressing these negative trends to help work toward closing the gender-funding gap by 2030. By convening stakeholders, we strive to ensure that capital flows increasingly reflect high-performance potential rather than network proximity.
Focus Initiatives 2026-2030
Consultation. Selection. Community.
Impact of Our Initiatives
Our focus initiatives aim to catalyze change by bridging critical stages of the startup lifecycle.
The Story
These initiatives were shaped by the community, not developed in isolation. Through a series of Sustainability Forums and thematic labs, we identified key structural barriers. These solutions were then refined and prioritized through a democratic voting process at our Biennal 2026 Conference & Award.
Education Initiative: Builds entrepreneurial confidence and reduces bias early by equipping students with practical skills, role models, and inclusive mindsets.
Funding Bridge: Connects high-potential female founders with sponsors and investors to improve funding readiness and increase access to capital.
Helvetia2030: Activates collective support to identify and scale high-impact ventures in underserved regions, with a focus on female-led and diverse teams.
Biennal 2026 Conference & Award | March 17, 2026 | GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute
Alignment with Global Impact
The Roadmap 2026-2030 is intentionally designed to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, and 17).
We position gender equality not as a standalone social objective, but as a foundational enabler of a sustainable and competitive economic system.
Join us in shaping an innovation ecosystem where talent is the only currency that matters.
Supporters
