Some women claim they are victims of outright discrimination.
Others believe the numbers are low primarily because fewer women than men have the type of management experience desired by venture capitalists. Historically, women have been getting around these and other barriers by starting their own businesses with credit cards, savings, private investments from family and friends and small loans. Although women significantly trail men when it comes to getting high-tech venture capital, there are signs that the number of women seeking and getting this kind of financing is slowly increasing. Just three years ago, for example, the Menlo Park venture capital firm Mayfield Fund had just three women CEOs in its portfolio. Today, it has nine, said Wende S. Hutton, a general partner in the firm.