In the 12 months ending June 2025, all-female-founded NYC startups raised $955M across 143 deals — per the NY State Comptroller’s report — outperforming San Francisco in both total capital and deal count.

The key data point

• $955M — total raised by all-female-founded NYC companies (12 months ending June 2025).
• 143 deals — total deal count.
• #1 — NYC ranked above SF for all-female-founder capital and deal count.

This is a significant shift given SF’s overall VC dominance.

Why NYC works for women founders

1. Sector mix: NYC’s strength in consumer, health, fintech, HR tech, and wellness — sectors where women founders are disproportionately represented — translates into deal flow parity.
2. Operator networks: NYC is the U.S. hub for women executives in media, finance, fashion, and healthcare; these networks produce founders.
3. Specialist firms: BBG Ventures, Female Founders Fund, Chloe Capital, Alpaca VC all headquartered or active in NYC.
4. Community density: Dreamers & Doers, Chief (itself a NYC unicorn-adjacent company), and similar groups concentrate networks.

Notable NYC firms focused on female founders

• BBG Ventures — Susan Lyne; consumer internet and marketplace.
• Female Founders Fund — Anu Duggal; multi-stage.
• Chloe Capital — early-stage female and diverse founders.
• Alpaca VC — diverse-focused.
• HarbourVest — LP-side diversity commitments.

Notable NYC female-founded companies

• Chief — Lindsay Kaplan and Carolyn Childers; professional network for women leaders.
• Rent the Runway — Jennifer Hyman; IPO’d in 2021.
• The Wing (learning experience).
• Glossier — Emily Weiss; NYC HQ.
• Alma — Harry Ritter (co-founder) with NYC network; diverse cap table.

What this says about NYC VC

• Diverse capital allocators attract diverse founder pipelines.
• NYC’s sector breadth favors underrepresented founders more than AI-dominant SF.
• Operator networks compound — female CEOs mentoring next-gen founders create structural advantage.

Practical takeaway

• Founders: NYC is a credible primary market for women-led startup fundraising.
• Investors: Diversity alpha is real — missing out on this pool leaves returns on the table.
• LPs: NYC’s demonstrated diversity outcomes are a relevant factor in fund-level due diligence.

Sources

1. NY State Comptroller VC report: https://www.osc.ny.gov/files/reports/osdc/pdf/report-13-2026.pdf
2. BBG Ventures: https://bbgventures.com/
3. Female Founders Fund: https://femalefoundersfund.com/