Although less than 10% of startups worth over a billion dollars are founded by females, they are some of the most innovative companies in the world. Here are 15 of them:
1. Adi Tatarko, Houzz – US$2.3 billion
Tatarko and her husband struggled to communicate their ideas while they were renovating their home and launched a website that does this. It evolved into the app called Houzz, that now has over 40 million users.
2. Tianyue Yu, Quanergy Systems – US$1.6 billion
Quanergy Systems make 3D sensing technology and Yu holds over 15 patents in nanotechnology and sensing.
3. Jessica Alba, The Honest Company – US$1.5 billion
After learning about toxic chemicals in baby and home products Alba launched a company that manufactures healthy products.
4. Patricia House, C3 loT – US$1.4 billion
Launched in 2009, C3 loT provides AI and Internet of Things software platforms.
5. Amy Pressman, Medallia – US$1.2 billion
Founded in 2001, Medallia sells customer feedback software.
6. Sarah Leary, Nextdoor – US$1.1 billion
Nextdoor is a private social network aimed at building neighborhood communities.
7. Melissa Yaang, Tujia – US$1 billion
China’s version of AirBnb, Tujia was bought by HomeAway for US$10 million in 2010. It is now worth over a billion.
8. Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe – US$1 billion
Named after the 23 pairs of chromosomes in a human cell, 23andMe works with human DNA.
9. Kendra Scott, Kendra Scott Jewelry – US$1 billion
From the humble beginnings of designing and selling jewelry from her bedroom, Kendra Scott now has over 2,000 employees.
10. Liu Nan, Mia – US$1 billion
After becoming a parent and struggling to find trustworthy products, Nan founded Mia – a shopping platform for quality baby products.
11. Kathryn Petralia, Kabbage – US$1 billion
A small business funding company, Kabbage uses an automated online lending platform.
12. Julia Hartz, Eventbrite – US$1 billion
The former MTV employee is the CEO of Eventbrite, an events management and ticketing company.
13. Miranda Qu, XiaoHongShu – US$1 billion
Translated to Little Red Book, XiaoHongShu is a Chinese social community and shopping app.
14. Michelle Zatlyn, Cloudflare – US$1 billion
Started in 2009, Cloudflare is an Internet security and web performance company.
15. Lesley Eccles, FanDuel – US$1 billion
Using her life savings, Eccles started FanDuel – a fantasy sports service that has turned into a household name in the U.S.
