It's a well-known issue: The startup scene lacks female founders, especially in the tech sector. However, as an international study by Dell has now shown, there are locations that offer better conditions for female entrepreneurs than others. And lo and behold: Munich, the female magnet among German cities, is the only German city represented in the top 50.
More specifically, the Bavarian capital landed in eleventh place in the ranking. New York, the Bay Area around San Francisco, and London were at the top. The study was conducted by an international team of researchers, who examined cities around the world to determine how well they support women in building successful businesses.
The cities studied were assessed on five criteria that were considered crucial for the success of start-ups: markets, talent, capital, culture, and, last but not least, technology. The proportion of startups led by women was also taken into account.
Why does Munich perform so well in the ranking?
First of all, there is, of course, the excellent economic situation in which the Bavarian metropolis finds itself. In addition to this fact, founders can also find numerous contact points here when it comes to consulting questions. One example of this is the joint initiative of the City of Munich and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Munich Business Start-up Office (MEB). Free information events are offered regularly, as well as individual consultations to help you get started on your own.
In addition to this offer, there are additional programs such as Guide, which are explicitly aimed at women and thus aim to boost female entrepreneurship. There, female founders not only find a point of contact for general questions, but can also benefit from affordable seminars. Another important task of Guide is to network female founders in order to promote a lively exchange within the female entrepreneurial community.
The fact that there are already many exemplary female founders in Munich who can act as role models for other women can be seen regularly at the career fair for women herCareer Representatives of the Munich startup scene such as Innosabi co-founder Catharina von Delden are setting good examples and showing the still male-dominated startup landscape that women can be at least as good entrepreneurs as the supposedly stronger sex.
There is still a lot to do
Despite all the positive aspects, the study also raises critical points: For example, it is still significantly more difficult for women today to secure venture capital than for men. According to the study, only three percent of female founders receive venture capital, and there is also an unequal distribution in the granting of loans.
