Diversity Report

The First Diversity Map of the Romanian Startup Ecosystem
- second edition -

Our Ambitions for 2024: Looking Beyond the Obvious?


Commiment to diversity

StepFWD's commitment to diversity deepens as we champion a broad, inclusive startup ecosystem.

Promoting diversity

Aiming at re-evaluating and promoting diversity in Romania's startup world.

Beyond gender

We explore the fabric of diversity in Romanian startups, analyzing trends, perceptions, and untapped talent.

Ongoing dialogue

With a survey revealing new insights and the need for ongoing dialogue, we recognize discrimination challenges and celebrate startups recognizing diversity's growth potential.

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Here are some of the most important figures

94 startups

89 startups with at least 1 marker of diversity and 50 startups with employees belonging to an underrepresented group

71% males vs 29% females

Ratio of males and femals who completed the survey.

54% first-time founders

With 74% of respondents being the CEOs

Startups founding

+50% of startups founded after 2021, 40% in growth stage, 27% in early revenue

Startups stages

51% boostrapping, 22% pre-seed, 21% seed

42% raised money

32M euros raised all in total by all respondents with a 334K euros median

The first 5 key findings

#1 Gender Perspectives on Diversity Importance

Women in the Romanian startup scene place a higher importance on diversity than their male counterparts, with 51% of female respondents considering it essential versus 34% of males.

#2 Funding Across Stages and Gender

Early-stage startups have an average funding of €376K, with a slight difference between male (€384K) and female (€368K) founders. In contrast, series A and B funding rounds were almost exclusively led by men.


#3 Diversity Brings Diversity

Founders identifying with a diversity marker are three times more likely to hire diverse employees, with 90% of diverse founders having diverse teams compared to 36% of non-diverse founders.


#4 Gender Differences in Perceived Diversity Pitfalls

Men are more likely than women (76% vs. 24%) to believe that emphasizing diversity might overshadow merit or lead to conflicts.


#5 Gender Discrimination in the Ecosystem

19% of respondents experienced a form of discrimination. 80% of women who reported experiencing discrimination in the Romanian startup ecosystem cited gender identity and expression as the cause.


Next 5 key findings in the report

Read the last 5 key findings and the extended analysis in the full format report.


Now let’s hear some exciting findings about diversity in the Romanian startup ecosystem!

Get your own copy of the Diversity Report!

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