WomenINvestEU Steering Group member Deepali Nangia and network investor Itxaso del Palacio were featured by EU-Startups in their latest list of the top 100 women actively working to close the gender gap in European deeptech and investment. Read this article to learn more about these figures and their impressive achievements.
Published on International Women’s Day, EU-Startups’ Europe’s 100 most influential women in startups and venture capital in 2025 features trailblazers who are actively strengthening the innovation ecosystem and inspiring future generations in entrepreneurship and Venture Capital (VC). This year, the list features two members of the European Network of Gender-Conscious Investors, including one investor from the network’s Steering Group.
Deepali Nangia
Steering Group member
London, United Kingdom
Deepali Nangia has been investing in women-led companies and female founders for the last 10 years. As a Partner at Speedinvest, she leads gender lens investing at the VC fund and is co-lead at its Emerging Markets practice.
Prior to her time at Speedinvest, Deepali had already invested in 30 female founders/mixed teams in fintech, climate and health. She is a member of UK Business Angels Association’s (UKBAA) Angel Investment Taskforce, having been named Investor of the Year in 2021, and a European Investment Fund (EIF) Empowering Equity Mentor. She also won Linklaters Pioneering Woman of the Year Award in 2024.
Deepali also has a connection to the policy field, having run for local council and served in a UK Government Taskforce to drive more funding into high growth female entrepreneurs.
At WomenINvestEU’s European Network of Gender-Conscious Investors, Deepali plays a key role as a Steering Group member, providing input into the activities, events and services implemented under the project.
“I feel privileged to be nominated alongside so many phenomenal women in venture. While lists are always gratifying, we should also celebrate the work and success of the many women (and men) who tirelessly work each day to change the status quo, list or not”, explained Deepali to the WomenINvestEU team.
Itxaso del Palacio
Network member
London, United Kingdom
Itxaso del Palacio, PhD, is a General Partner at VC firm Notion. Before joining Notion, she was at M12 (formerly Microsoft Ventures), having launched their UK office and led investments in Onfido, Beamery and Unbabel.
Itxaso also has a strong connection to academia and an impressive history as an educator. After completing her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Engineering, she pursed a PhD in Entrepreneurship, during which she was a Visiting Researcher at UC Berkeley. She is currently an Associate Professor at University College London and a member of the board of directors of the Kauffman Fellows programme.
WomenINvestEU is proud to count on these key players as an integral part of its European Network of Gender-Conscious Investors. Learn more about our goals and membership criteria here and submit the Call for Expressions of Interest if you want to become a part of the network.
