Mixed Gender Founding Teams
Mixed-gender founding teams have raised $24.1 billion in 2023, which is expected to be the second-highest total ever. This 28.1% of capital raised is a significant increase from the 16.9% of capital raised in H1 2022. However, all-women founding teams have raised only $1.4 billion in the first half of 2023, which is significantly lower than the $3.1 billion raised in the first half of 2022. This demonstrates that the presence of a man on the founding team is still a major factor in raising capital.
To VC or not to VC
A new report from startup lender Capchase has found that venture-backed and bootstrapped SaaS startups with between $1 million and $15 million of ARR had nearly identical levels of growth over the last year, with venture-backed startups showing a 42.8% year-over-year growth and bootstrapped companies showing 44% growth. Although the venture-backed startups had raised external capital, they achieved the same growth rate as their bootstrapped peers.
Does a Body Good
Synthetic dairy, made from the same ingredients as conventional dairy, is becoming increasingly popular as a milk alternative. Companies like Better Dairy and Remilk are using precision fermentation to produce dairy products without the need for cows, goats, or ewes. This process has many advantages, such as being able to strip out lactose and hormones, using less water and energy, and emitting fewer greenhouse gases. However, there are still challenges to overcome, such as gaining consumer trust, navigating regulatory hurdles, and scaling production.
