The Netherlands boasts one the world’s strongest entrepreneurial environments. And yet, even in this positive business environment, a stark gender disparity remains. Women currently represent 38 percent of Dutch entrepreneurs, but they receive just 13.7 percent of total business funding and less than 2 percent of venture capital. In 2023, the Netherlands took decisive action to unlock the full potential of its women entrepreneurs with the launch of Code-V, uniting banks, venture capital firms, government agencies, and support organizations around a shared mission: equalizing entrepreneurial opportunities through data-driven insights, targeted interventions, and strategic investment.
This case study tells the origin story of Code-V, detailed as a five-step model that other countries can replicate to measure the financing gap and accelerate action to close it.
