Jabado takes fight for gender equality centre stage at European Parliament

The groundbreaking study, sponsored by MEP Lina Gálvez (Member of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee and Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee), was conducted by a consortium led by the Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services (CSES) in partnership with Dealroom, European Women in VC, and RAND Corporation, under the management of the European Innovation Council and SME Executive Agency (EISMEA).

Speaking at the event held during the European Parliament's Gender Equality Week, Jabado presented Sana Capital's pioneering model as Europe's first women-led fund-of-funds dedicated to backing emerging women fund managers who invest in female-led Frontier Tech ventures. The fund focuses on breakthrough innovations in artificial intelligence, quantum technology, biotechnology, and climate technology – all sectors critical to Europe's future competitiveness.

"Investing in women and women fund managers isn't philanthropy. It's a sound financial decision – and it's how we fund the future," Jabado told an audience of MEPs, European Commission officials, founders and leading investors at the Parliament's SPAAK 7C50 venue. "We don't want to lower the bar. We want to widen the gate."

The event marked the Brussels launch of a one-year pilot study commissioned by the European Parliament and implemented by the European Innovation Council and SME Executive Agency (EISMEA), which revealed that women-led start-ups attracted just 15.8 per cent of total investment in 2025, with female fund managers controlling only nine per cent of assets under management.

Breaking the Power Barrier

Drawing on more than two decades of building Europe's innovation ecosystem, Jabado brought unique authority to the discussion. As founder of the University of Cambridge Judge Business School's Entrepreneurship Centre and Accelerate Cambridge – which supported over 180 start-ups that raised more than £300 million - she has witnessed firsthand how talent is distributed equally but power is not.

"It's not enough for VCs to showcase women partners on the website. We need women with carry, with votes, and with the power to invest," Jabado stressed, warning against the growing practice of "woman washing" – firms promoting women into visible roles without meaningful investment authority.

The name Sana – meaning radiance or brilliance in Arabic – symbolises the fund's confidence-driven approach: the belief that inclusion and excellence are mutually reinforcing rather than requiring correction or compromise.

Leading Europe's Investment Revolution

Sana Capital's thesis centres on investing in "tomorrow's breakthrough capital" - long-horizon, science-based innovation that will shape Europe's technological sovereignty. By backing women fund managers investing in female-led Deep Tech ventures, Sana Capital addresses the funding cliff women face as they move from proof-of-concept to market-ready technology.

"When you change who's at the table, you don't just fund more women - you fund better innovation," Jabado concluded, highlighting that gender-balanced fund management isn't an alternative model but a higher-performing one.

The study's findings underscore the urgency of Sana Capital's mission. While women represent 21.3% of Deep Tech start-up founders, they face smaller deal sizes, thinner investor networks, and slower access to follow-on capital. Female fund managers operate smaller funds and have limited access to institutional capital – precisely the structural barriers Sana Capital aims to dismantle.

Building Bridges Across Europe

During the panel discussion "Investing in Equality: Scaling Impact to Bridge the Gender Funding Gap," Jabado joined fellow investors from Iceland's Kría Innovation Fund and the Netherlands' Invest-NL to outline pathways to systemic change. She called for mandatory transparency in gender reporting and cross-border collaboration to build European-wide platforms for diverse fund managers.

"We've all heard the same polite rejections," Jabado acknowledged candidly about the challenges of raising a first-time women-led fund-of-funds. "But the conversation is shifting - ten years ago, people said there weren't enough women to invest in; today, LPs are asking for the data."

Jabado's contributions were reinforced by European Commission Director Jean-David Malo, who noted that "empowering women innovators is essential for Europe's competitiveness" and that the pilot had demonstrated the value of cooperation between data providers, investors, and policymakers.

Research Leadership and European Parliament Support

The Gender Gap in Investments pilot project represents a collaborative effort across Europe's innovation ecosystem. MEP Lina Gálvez, who championed and sponsored the study, opened the Brussels event by reflecting on how efforts to close the gender investment gap have evolved from political debate to concrete policymaking.

The research consortium, led by CSES with European Women in VC providing crucial venture capital expertise, dealroom developing the innovative data dashboard, and RAND Corporation contributing analytical rigour, conducted extensive research including national events across nine European cities and interviews with founders, investors, and policymakers.

Sana Capital, with offices in Cambridge, sponsors a gender quality award in AI in the Business Weekly Awards. Sana is Europe's first women-led fund-of-funds dedicated to backing emerging women fund managers investing in female-led frontier tech ventures.

Founded and led by Jabado, one of Europe's leading innovation ecosystem builders, the fund focuses on Deep Tech innovations that will define Europe's technological future. Jabado brings over 25 years of experience in DeepTech, having previously founded Accelerate Cambridge at the University of Cambridge, where she supported 180+ ventures that raised £300 million+ and achieved a combined valuation of £2 billion+.

She also serves as a Board Director at Cambridge Spark, sits on the Innovate UK Loans Credit Committee as an Independent and holds prestigious roles, including as a President's Fellow at Murray Edwards College and is Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire.