In 2024, startups with exclusively female founders received just 1.8 percent of all venture capital dollars, a decline from 2023, according to PitchBook. Add a male co-founder and that number shoots up to 21.7 percent. This despite the evidence suggesting that when women do get funded, they deliver higher returns. Is change likely? And if so, what should we expect?

At our SXSW Inc. Founders House, Mansueto Ventures CEO and chief content officer Stephanie Mehta sat down with Rebecca Minkoff, founder and chief creative officer, of Rebecca Minkoff, and Ali Wyatt, co-founder and CEO, of Female Founder Collective and The NORTH, to discuss the state of funding and the challenges facing female founders.