African Tech Startup Funding for Female Founders Declines
Funding for African tech startups with female founders has seen a significant decline between 2024 and 2026, according to a new report by Disrupt Africa.
African tech startups founded or led by women have experienced a worrying trend of decreased funding in recent years, according to the third edition of the "Diversity Dividend: Exploring Gender Equality in the African Tech Ecosystem" report by Disrupt Africa.
The report, produced in partnership with Madica, Thinkroom, and Jumpstarter Crowdfunding, analyzes gender diversity within the African startup and venture capital landscape. In 2021, 21.5% of funded startups had a female co-founder, and 11.7% had a female CEO. While there was a slight increase in 2023, with 26.3% of ventures featuring a woman on the founding team and 15.3% led by a female CEO, the subsequent years show a downward trajectory.
In 2024, the percentage of funded startups with a female co-founder dropped to 18.5%, and those with a female CEO fell to 12.5%. This trend continued into 2025, where only 16.9% of funded ventures included a woman in their founding team, and 9.6% were led by a female CEO. Early data for 2026 suggests a further dip, with female CEOs leading only 8.3% of funded startups so far this year.
Similar declines are observed in the share of capital raised. Startups with female co-founders received 11.8% of total funding in 2021, while those led by female CEOs garnered 7.9%. By 2024, these figures had fallen to 7.1% and 5.4%, respectively. Although 2025 saw a rebound to 12.8% for co-founded ventures and 7.9% for female-led ones, preliminary 2026 data indicates a further reduction to 7.1% for co-founded and a stark 2.8% for female-led companies.
The report combines quantitative data on founder representation and funding with qualitative insights gathered through interviews with founders and investors. Disrupt Africa regularly publishes this analysis to track the state of gender equality in the African technology sector.