The fund offers early stage investors the opportunity to take part in this high-return asset class, for as little as £10,000, alongside experienced angels – while accessing the full range of EIS tax benefits, including 30% income tax relief on up to £1 million invested, and capital gains deferral.

Studies by Boston Consulting Group and the Kauffman Foundation have shown that women-run businesses are more capital efficient and can deliver higher return on investment (ROI) than male-founded startups – sometimes as much as twice per dollar invested. In addition, research from academics at the Universities of Glasgow and Leicester indicates that companies with more than 30% female executives are more likely to outperform those that don’t have female representation in senior positions.

Despite the clear data showing that investment in female-founded businesses makes commercial sense, there remains a significant gap in the funding that women receive.  In the first half of 2024, all-female founded businesses secured just 1.8% of equity capital. The fund aims to close that gap by providing female founders with the necessary capital to grow and scale.

Sarah Turner, Co-Founder and CEO of Angel Academe, said: “Too often, efforts to address the funding gap have been focused on words rather than actions. In order for women to scale their businesses, they need money, not mentoring. This fund aims to put capital directly into the hands of female founders building innovative businesses. It’s not about pledges – it’s about action. This is just the start and we aim to grow this initiative into a larger, annual fund to support even more innovative companies whilst addressing the funding gap in the years to come.”

Tom Britton, Co-Founder of SyndicateRoom, said: “The bottom line is that backing female founders represents a market inefficiency and untapped investment opportunity. This fund offers investors the chance to diversify their portfolio, and we know how important diversification is when it comes to achieving strong returns.”

The Angel Academe EIS Fund is open for investment with the objective of co-investing in female-founded tech startups alongside Angel Academe angels from quarter four of this year. The fund aims to raise £1.2 million in the first year and grow from there.

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