Over the past three years — driven in part by pandemic-related challenges and downsizing — there has been a sharp uptick in startup businesses founded by women and minority entrepreneurs.
Women accounted for 49% of new businesses in the U.S. in 2021, up from 28% in 2019, according to data from the World Economic Forum. Three times more Black-owned businesses were founded over the same time frame.
Despite those positive trends, both women and minority groups remain largely underrepresented when it comes to receiving venture capital.