John Whelan: Banking crisis may hinder Irish women-led companies blazing a trail across Europe

'Ambitious start-up businesses had been unable to pursue growth at all costs and were scrambling for funds to keep their scaling plans on track'

While female founders have grown their share of European and Irish deals and capital invested, the increase is still relatively small in terms of investment in male only start-ups.

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank couldn't have come at a worse time for start-up businesses.

Last year was a difficult year for start-ups and investors due to macroeconomic conditions worsening.