20 Female Founders Who Self-Funded Their Businesses

• Female founders receive less venture funding, but are more likely to start businesses.
• Many successful entrepreneurs bootstrapped their companies without any outside investment.
• Twenty women give tips for building a business from the ground up while maintaining ownership.

Female founders may not receive as much venture funding as their male counterparts, but they’re more likely to start businesses, according to a recent report by Visa.

In honor of women who are shaping business and leadership, we’ve rounded up 20 female founders who started companies and drove them to success.

These women worked, pitched, applied, and saved their way to the funding they needed to grow. Today, they maintain full ownership of their businesses, or otherwise share ownership with their cofounders. They bootstrapped their companies without outside investment (though some may take equity soon).