Only one-tenth of Israeli startups are headed by female CEOs as gender gap persists
Women hold around 17% of senior management positions in private tech firms; overall share of women in Israeli tech workforce stagnates, study by Israel Innovation Authority shows
Sharon Wrobel is a tech reporter for The Times of Israel.
More women are studying tech professions, and more women are working in the tech sector, but only about one-tenth of Israeli startups are managed by female chief executives.
Despite progress, the gender gap in the tech industry persists. The share of female CEOs who manage a startup stands at about 10.6 percent, a low figure in comparison to other global tech hubs, according to a study by the Israel Innovation Authority prepared ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8. In Silicon Valley, Boston, Sydney, Stockholm and Los Angeles, the ratio of female CEOs is more than 50% higher than in Israel.
Women comprise only about a third of Israel’s tech workforce, a ratio that has been stagnant for the past three decades, the study shows.
The disparity is even more pronounced in leadership positions as there is almost no change in female representation in management roles and the volume of investments in women-led startups.
Only one in six senior managers in Israeli tech companies is a woman. The majority of executive roles held by women in publicly traded Israeli tech companies are in administrative positions in the areas of human resources, legal counsel, sales and marketing.
The numbers also highlight the uphill battle women continue to face in the private equity and venture capital industry, as the partners of these firms making decisions about investments are predominantly male.
Overall, women-led startups raised only 4.3% of all capital amassed by startups in recent years, despite managing about 10.6% of startups, according to the study. In 40% of the active venture capital funds in Israel, there is not a single female partner.
“There is a lot of attitude toward being the only woman in the room, but I always felt comfortable in the room,” Lee Moser, one of two female founders of Israeli defense tech fund Protego Ventures, told The Times of Israel. “The lack of biases is what is important, and this is what eventually promotes women.”
“When we hire, we look at a person and the value they bring to the table,” Moser added.
Founded in December by Moser and partner Lital Leshem, venture capital fund Protego is dedicated to investing in young Israeli growth startups that develop military and defense technologies. The fund is close to securing $150 million and plans to support the development of 10 to 12 startups, Moser said.
“We need to encourage women to take the risk of starting a fund, lead by example, to help other women, and hopefully more will follow,” Moser said. “Here we can do a better job.”
“I would like to see more women investing in funds take ownership on investment and risk,” she noted.
Over the past decade, the number of female students in tech professions has doubled, and the number of women employed in the tech sector has risen by 65% to 130,000.
One notable trend highlighted in the study is the significant increase in the number of female students taking the highest-level (5-unit) matriculation exams in computer science, which increased by over 75% between 2016 and 2023. In addition, women’s representation in tech-related studies has grown from 24% in 2012 to 32% in 2023.
The findings of the study also pointed to geographic gaps in the share of female students taking advanced computer science matriculation exams. The ratio of female students passing the 5-unit computer science matriculation exams in Tel Aviv and the Central District is three times higher than that in Jerusalem, twice as high as in the south, and about 50% higher than in the north and Haifa.
“It’s all about education and how early we can educate girls at school about finance and economy,” Moser said. “That would also see women making more financial decisions in their homes.”
Innovation, Science, and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel, acknowledged that “despite significant progress in education and training in tech fields, the gaps in management levels, entrepreneurship, and investments remain deep and mandate systemic change led by the government to ensure more equal representation.”
Gamliel recommended that the government should support tailored training programs to encourage women to take on leadership and entrepreneurial roles and improve access to funding.
“Advancing women in high-tech is not just a matter of social justice—it is an essential economic lever to strengthen Israel’s competitiveness and make the high-tech sector more inclusive, diverse, and robust,” said Gamliel. “It is a critical economic engine for increasing labor productivity and maintaining Israel’s competitive edge in the global economy.”
Israel Innovation Authority CEO Dror Bin called on the government to expand training and education programs through developing programs to promote women in management positions and encouraging female entrepreneurship.
“Only a comprehensive and ongoing initiative that involves the government and the industry can bring about real change,” Bin said.
