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Female founders in MENA secure less than 1% of VC funding despite rising numbers

By PulseAugur Editorial · [1 sources] ·

Female founders in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are establishing businesses at a high rate, yet they receive a disproportionately small amount of venture capital funding. In the first half of 2026, female-founded startups secured only 0.14% of the total VC funding in the region. Experts suggest this disparity is linked to a lack of diversity within investor networks, as male-dominated VC firms and decision-makers may inadvertently perpetuate bias. To address this, there's a call for more female investors and a focus on treating the issue as a capital allocation problem rather than solely a founder problem. AI

RANK_REASON The article discusses a significant funding disparity affecting a large demographic of entrepreneurs in a major global region, highlighting systemic issues within the venture capital industry. [lever_c_demoted from significant: ic=1 ai=0.1]

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AI-generated summary · Google Gemini · from 1 sources. How we write summaries →

Female founders in MENA secure less than 1% of VC funding despite rising numbers

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The article discusses a significant funding disparity affecting a large demographic of entrepreneurs in a major global region, highlighting systemic issues within the venture capital industry. [lev…
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COVERAGE [1]

  1. Fortune TIER_1 English(EN) · Melissa Hancock ·

    The Middle East’s female founders are on the rise. Why isn’t the funding following?

    While progress has been made to address a lack of funding for MENA female-founded startups, structural hurdles in how capital is sourced and distributed still need to be overcome.

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