Gender Bias in Business

Women’s clothing retailer, Reformation, celebrating its initial public offering. (Credit: Reformation's Instagram account) Women are making powerful strides in all industries and sectors - from sports and entertainment, to influential advocacy positions - despite living and working in a world rife with "alarming" bias against them. (Those are the United Nations' words, not ours.) However, in the realm of publicly traded companies, women leaders remain scant. Over 40 companies on the S&P 500 had women CEOs - but this only accounts for a paltry 8%. Pulling out from that list, only 3% of companies that went public between 1996 to 2013 had women CEOs, according to sociologist Martin Kenney and economist Donald Patton of the University of California, Davis. When it comes to explaining the dearth of representation, experts point to culprits ranging from investor bias to a generally flawed market system. Several years ago, The Story Exchange set out to find out precisely how many public companies had women founders — be they solopreneurs or members of a mixed co-founding team. While we contacted several researchers and the largest U.S. stock exchanges to that aim — the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq — those who did respond (and several did not) were unable to assist. So, we created our own list, which continues to expand — just recently, in fact, as Yael Aflalo’s women’s clothing retailer, Reformation, debuted on the stock market last week. Below, you'll find our ever-running tally of public companies founded or co-founded by women entrepreneurs, as well as information about their market debuts and the work that they do. (For those that were once trading, but no longer are, we have added an asterisk to their names.) While there are thousands of publicly traded companies worldwide, we have only found 46 thus far that had women involved from the very beginning. Please drop us a line at info@thestoryexchange.org if we have excluded any women-founded public companies. 1. Cisco Systems Founded in 1987 by Sandy Lerner and her now ex-husband, Leonard Bosack. The multinational company makes routers and other networking hardware.IPO Date: Feb. 16, 1990Employees: 74,200Location: San Jose, CaliforniaRevenue: $49.33 billion 2. Estee Lauder Founded in 1946 by Estee Lauder and her husband, Joseph Lauder. The company specializes in cosmetics.IPO Date: Nov. 25, 1995Location: New YorkEmployees: 46,000Revenue: $11.824 billion 3. Dispatch Management Services * Founded in 1994 by Linda Jenkinson and Greg Kidd, Dispatch Management Services was a publicly traded company that handled point-to-point delivery services in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. One of its subsidiaries, CitySprint, still operates in all four countries.IPO Date: February 1, 1998Employees: 3,200Location: New York CityLast Reported Revenue: $150 million 4. BlackRock Founded in 1988 by Sue Wagner. The investment management firm provides risk and fixed-income institutional asset management services.IPO Date: 1999Employees: 13,900Location: New YorkRevenue: $14.2 billion 5. Siebert Financial Inc. Founded in 1967 by Muriel Siebert. The brokerage firm specializes in trading and investments.IPO Date: Feb. 16, 1999Employees: 80Location: New YorkRevenue: $25.7 million 6. Urban One Founded in 1980 by Cathy Hughes. Urban One is a multi-media company that engages in radio broadcasting franchise business.IPO Date: May. 6, 1999Employees: 1,058Location: Silver Springs, MarylandRevenue: $434.6 million 7. Advaxis Founded in 2002 by Dr. Yvonne Paterson. Now called Ayala Pharmaceuticals, Inc., it's a biotechnology company dedicated to immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases.IPO Date: Aug. 5, 2005Employees: 58Location: Princeton, New JerseyRevenue: $6.1 million 8. iRobot* Founded in 1990 by Helen Greiner along with fellow MIT students Colin Angle and Rodney Brooks, who were making robots for fun. The company aims to make technology easily accessible for the private sector. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2025.IPO Date: Nov. 9, 2005Employees: 528Location: Bedford, MassachusettsRevenue: $505 million Pam Marrone , when her company went public. (Credit: Pam Marrone) 9. Marrone Bio Innovation* Founded in 2006 by Pamela Marrone. The company aims to enhance the agricultural industry by producing natural biopesticides. The company has since been acquired by Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp.IPO Date: Aug. 2, 2013Employees: 103Location: Davis, CaliforniaRevenue: $18.6 million 10. Veracyte Founded in 2006 by Bonnie Anderson. The company conducts molecular testing with an end goal of lowering the price of effective healthcare.IPO Date: Oct. 30, 2013Employees: 107Location: San FranciscoRevenue: $85.9 million 11. Glycomimetics Founded in 2003 by John Magnani and Rachel King. Glycomimetics designs and develops natural molecule-therapy in order to fight cancer. It now operates as Crescent Biopharma following a merger.IPO Date: Jan. 1, 2014Employees: 40Location: Rockville, MarylandRevenue: $20,070 12. Care.com* Founded in 2006 by Sheila Lirio Marcelo. The company compiles care providers online and allows customers to search for babysitters, nannies and adult care providers. It stopped trading in 2020, following an acquisition by IAC.IPO Date: Jan. 23, 2014Employees: 429Location: Waltham, MassachusettsRevenue: $109.7 million 13. Store Capital* Founded in 2011 by Catherine Long, Christopher Volk, Michael Bennett and Michael Zieg. The company provides real estate mortgage and leasing services for single-tenant residential properties. It was acquired, then delisted, by GIC and Oak Street in 2023.IPO Date: Nov. 14, 2014Employees: 80Location: Scottsdale, ArizonaRevenue: $449.6 million 14. Jaguar Animal Health Founded in 2013 by Lisa A. Conte. Jaguar Animal Health provides natural prescription products designed to promote gastrointestinal health in both humans and animals.IPO Date: May. 13, 2015Employees: 37Location: San FranciscoRevenue: $4.4 million 15. Caladrius Biosciences Found in 2006 by Catherine Vaczy. Caladrius Biosciences develops stem-cell therapies for the treatment of various diseases. Following a merger with Cend Therapeutics in September 2022, it is now listed as Lisata Therapeutics, Inc.IPO Date: Jun. 8 2015Employees: 22Location: Basking Ridge, New JerseyRevenue: $27.4 million 16. Catabasis Founded in 2008 by Jill C. Milne and Michael Jirousek. The pharmaceutical company researches drugs specifically designed to treat inflammation. It is still trading, but is now called Astria Therapeutics, Inc. following a name change.IPO Date: Jun. 25, 2015Employees: 34Location: Cambridge, MassachusettsRevenue: $500,000 17. Sunrun Founded in 2007 by Lynn Jurich and Ed Fenster. The solar power company charges customers a monthly fee to cover the installation of solar panels and other equipment.IPO Date: Aug. 4, 2015Employees: 3380Location: San FranciscoRevenue: $205 million 18. Amplify Snack Brands* Founded in 2010 by Pamela Netzky and Andrew Friedman. The company offers healthier, non-GMO alternatives to typical snack brands. It was acquired by The Hershey Company in 2018, and is no longer publicly traded.IPO Date: Sep. 4, 2015Employees: 45Location: Austin TexasRevenue: $137.5 million 19. Editas Medicine Founded in 2013 by Jennifer A. Doudna, along with Feng Zhang and J. Keith Joung. The genome-editing firm research and develops therapies for treating genetic based diseases.IPO Date: Jun. 2, 2016Employees: 112Location: Cambridge, MassachusettsRevenue: $317.3 million Katrina Lake, CEO of StitchFix. (Credit: Fortune Brainstorm TECH, Flickr) 20. Myovant Sciences* Founded in 2016 by Lynn Seely. Myovant Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that develops therapeutics for endocrine disorders. It was acquired in 2023 by Sumitovant Biopharma.IPO Date: Oct. 27, 2016Employees: 9Location: LondonRevenue: $2.5 million 21. Blackline Founded in 2001 by current CEO Therese Tucker (who also stands out for her light pink hair). BlackLine Systems develops cloud-based software for accounting and finance departments.IPO Date: Oct. 28, 2016Employees: 740Location: Woodland Hills, CaliforniaRevenue: $206.1 million 22. StitchFix Founded in 2011 by Katrina Lake and Erin Morrison Flynn. The online styling company aims to help customers find clothing that fits their personal style and then mails it directly to their front door.IPO Date: Nov. 2017Employees: 5,500Location: San FranciscoRevenue: $318.3 million 23. Eventbrite Founded in 2006 by Julia Hartz, along with Kevin Hartz and Renaud Visage. Eventbrite serves as a means to organize local events, to sell/ buy event tickets, and to RSVP.IPO Date: Sep. 20, 2018Employees: 983Location: San FranciscoRevenue: $294.5 million 24. Twist Bioscience Emily Leproust and Bill Banyai founded the synthetic DNA manufacturer in 2013. IPO Date: October 30, 2018Employees: 400Location: San FranciscoRevenue: $54.2 million 25. Sunrun Sunrun is a solar energy company that was co-founded in 2007 by Lynn Jurich, Ed Fenster, and Nat Kreamer.IPO Date: August 5, 2015Employees: 4,800Location: San FranciscoRevenue: $182.2 million 26. Cortexyme In 2012, Casey Lynch co-founded this biopharmaceutical company that focuses on developing treatments for degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. It changed its name to Quince Therapeutics, Inc. in 2022, but continues to be publicly traded.IPO Date: May 8, 2019Employees: 23Location: San FranciscoRevenue: $167 million 27. The RealReal Founder Julia Wainright launched the luxury consignment shop in 2011.IPO Date: June 28, 2019Employees: 1,286Location: San FranciscoRevenue: $293.2 million 28. Annovis Bio This company’s focus is drug development to treat neurological diseases such as dementia. Maria L. Maccecchini founded the company in 2008.IPO Date: January 29, 2020Employees: 2Location: Berwyn, PennsylvaniaRevenue: $676,000 29. Ayala Pharmaceuticals Roni Mamluk founded the company, which makes therapies for rare genetic cancers, in 2017.IPO Date: May 8, 2020Employees: 29Location: IsraelRevenue: $2.3 million 30. Athira Pharma Like Annovis Bio, this company also develops treatments for neurological diseases. Leen Kawas founded the company in 2011. Following significant restructuring and a name change in 2025, it is now trading as LeonaBio, Inc.IPO Date: September 18, 2020Employees: 20Location: SeattleRevenue: $6 million 31. Amesite Ann Marie Sastry founded her artificial intelligence software company in 2017.IPO Date: September 25, 2020Employees: 9Location: DetroitRevenue: $59,700 32. Bumble This dating app, launched by Whitney Wolfe Herd in 2014, reports over 40 million monthly users. (Read more about Bumble’s IPO here.)IPO Date: February 11, 2021Employees: 70Location: Austin, TexasRevenue: $417 million Dating app Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons) 33. Honest Company Actress Jessica Alba founded this beauty, home and baby product seller in 2011. It now serves the United States, Canada and parts of Europe.IPO Date: May 4, 2021Employees: 187Location: Playa Vista, CaliforniaRevenue: $318.6 million 34. FIGS This company, which makes and sells medical apparel, was co-founded by Heather Hasson and Trina Spear in 2013. IPO Date: May 27, 2021Employees: 100Location: Los AngelesRevenue: $263 million 35. 23andMe* Anne Wojcicki, Linda Avey and and Paul Cusenza co-founded this biotech firm, which offers direct-to-consumer genetic testing services. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2025.IPO Date: June 16, 2021Employees: 683Location: Sunnyvale, CaliforniaRevenue: $475.1 million 36. Clear Caryn Seidman-Becker co-founded this biometrics verification company alongside Ken Cornick in 2010.IPO Date: June 30, 2021Employees: 1,650Location: New York CityRevenue: $230.8 million 37. Rent the Runway Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss are the co-founders this well-known company, which allows customers to rent (or buy) designer clothing for special occasions.IPO Date: October 27, 2021Employees: 1,800Location: New York CityRevenue: $100 million 38. Quoin Pharmaceuticals Denise Carter is the co-Founder, COO and director of Quoin Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage company that develops therapeutic products.IPO Date: October 29, 2021Employees: 4Location: IsraelRevenue: $9.18 million 39. Nextdoor The social networking app for neighbors had a woman, Sarah Leary, on its founding team. It is also presently run by a woman: CEO Sarah Friar.IPO Date: November 8, 2021Employees: 450Location: San FranciscoRevenue: $45.8 million 40. Sidus Space Sometimes called "The Queen of Space," founder Carol Craig first launched her space-centric data and manufacturing company in 2012.IPO Date: December 14, 2021Employees: 77Location: Cape Canaveral, FloridaRevenue: $1.4 million 41. Ohmyhome Co-founder sisters Rhonda and Race Wong launched this online real estate transaction company in 2016 to simplify the processes of buying, selling, renting or renovating properties.IPO Date: March 23, 2023Employees: 48Location: SingaporeRevenue: $7.03 million 42. Oddity This beauty company, co-founded in 2018 by Shiran Holtzman-Erel and her brother, uses AI technology to design personalized cosmetics for customers worldwide.IPO Date: July 19, 2023Employees: 250Location: IsraelRevenue: $399 million 43. Oklo Inc. This advanced nuclear technology company was co-founded in 2013 by Caroline Cochran.IPO Date: May 10, 2024Employees: 100Location: Santa Clara, CaliforniaRevenue: $4.5 billion 44. Once Upon a Farm A company that makes organic baby and children's food products, founded in 2015 by Cassandra Curtis and Ari Raz. (Garner came on in 2017.)IPO Date: February 6, 2026Employees: 154Location: Berkeley, CaliforniaRevenue: $724 billion 45. Paloma Acquisition Corp I A global mining and precious metals company founded by CEO Anna Nahajski-Staples in 2025.IPO Date: February 20, 2026Employees: 3Location: New York CityRevenue: $0 (blank check company) 46. Reformation Founded by Yael Aflalo in 2009, this company is a women's clothing retailer. (It is now run by CEO Hali Borenstein, after Aflalo stepped down in 2020.)IPO Date: July 30, 2026Employees: 1,200Location: Vernon, CaliforniaRevenue: $507.1 million

Gender Bias in Business

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