Recent years witnessed Southeast Asia’s emergence as a dynamic center for innovation and entrepreneurship. Although the region’s entrepreneurial landscape is predominantly male-dominated, female entrepreneurs are taking actions to challenge barriers and create impact across different sectors.
According to a recent report by DealStreetAsia, female founders in Southeast Asia have raised equity funding of up to 1.41 billion USD. This accounts for 18.3% of the total private capital secured by startups in the same year, marking an outstanding rise from the 12.6% share in 2022.
Despite the pandemic-caused entrepreneurial slump, the drop for female-founded ventures was relatively low at 29.5%, showcasing the persistence and strength of female entrepreneurs.
Late-stage startups founded or supported by women are also making waves with established companies like Singlife and Vietnamese educational services provider EQuest, attracting remarkable late-stage funding. Their success serves as inspiration for aspiring female entrepreneurs.
In Southeast Asia, Singapore is at the forefront with female founders raising nearly $998 million in 2023. Vietnam, on the other hand, is the leader in female entrepreneurship with an impressive 53% share of total capital raised by female-led ventures. This rise of female-led startups in Southeast Asia has proven the region’s dynamism and a promising future for more inclusivity within the start-up space.
