Show us the data: From anecdote to evidence
Building national data infrastructure for a more equitable startup funding ecosystem
Minister The Hon. Anoulack Chanthivong MP and Noga Edelstein, Equity Clear, attend the launch of Show us the Data
CSI UNSW is the knowledge partner for Equity Clear, an industry-led collaboration addressing the gender-investment gap in Australia’s startup ecosystem.
Equity Clear’s new national report, Show Us the Data: From Anecdote to Evidence, explores where funding challenges appear for women founders across the investment pipeline, from founder access and sourcing networks to evaluation processes, investment readiness and later-stage funding.
While Australia has increasingly robust data on who receives startup funding, there is still limited visibility into how opportunities move through the investment journey.
Developed through national ecosystem engagement, the report examines why better data infrastructure matters, what Australia can learn from international reporting models, and how more consistent pipeline diversity reporting could help strengthen evidence across the startup investment ecosystem.
The report brings together the data, insights and lessons needed to support Australia’s first common standard for pipeline diversity reporting.
What the report covers:
- The funding gap: the current state of startup funding outcomes in Australia.
- The data gap: why outcome data alone cannot explain how opportunities move through the investment pipeline.
- International models: lessons from reporting initiatives in the UK, US and other markets.
- National consultation findings: insights from engagement with more than 160 organisations across Australia.
- The Equity Clear Standard: a proposed framework for more consistent pipeline diversity reporting.
- Implementation pathway: a proposed roadmap from consultation to pilot and broader adoption.