Fundraising While Female – 9 Strategies For Startups From The Billion Dollar Fund For Women The number of women-owned businesses went up 21% the past 5 years, vs. 9% overall growth. Women-owned businesses earn a whopping 63% higher return on investment than male-only founded firms - yet struggle to secure investor funding (only 2.8% of VC funds). Read on for fundraising tips from a master: