Female start-up founders are extremely rare in Europe. This is due in part to the fact that women start fewer businesses than men. Despite accounting for more than half of the population, women account for less than one-third of all entrepreneurs. Despite receiving less than half the investment capital of their male counterparts, female-founded businesses generate twice the revenue per dollar invested.

According to the European Investment Bank's Innovation Finance Advisory study, Funding Women Entrepreneurs: How to Empower Growth (2020), venture capital and seed funding for women-led and -owned businesses in the EU is gradually improving.

A successful example is the organic and environmentally friendly whisky distillery Nc'nean in Scotland, founded by Annabel Thomas who left a management-consulting career to pursue her dream. In just a short space of time, she become a true leader in the field.

Nc'nean represents one of the examples of growth through crowdfunding. In order to expedite the company's current expansion objectives, the creator, Annabel Thomas, was successful in raising €1.9 million through a crowdfunding effort on Seedrs (and from private investors). How did they achieve success? The key was a unique and imaginative product that captures Scotland's soul.