FAQs
What is the Invest in Women Taskforce?
The Invest in Women Taskforce (IWT) is a government-backed industry-led initiative which aims to harness the £250 billion boost to the UK economy by enabling more women to start and scale businesses at the same rate as men. Female-led businesses currently receive just 2% of equity investment (IWT x Beauhurst, 2024), and only 15% of senior investors are women (BVCA, 2025). IWT is an industry-led, government-backed initiative and is addressing these challenges by:
- Delivering one of the world’s largest dedicated investment pools for female-powered businesses, with at least £250 million deployed by female and mixed investment managers to female and mixed businesses within the UK.
- Increasing angel investment for female entrepreneurs and encouraging more women to become angel investors.
- Support the broader ecosystem: Working as a collective across the financial services industry to provide more women with the tools, resources and networks to start, run and scale their business.
What is the “Invest in Women Taskforce” funding pot?
The Invest in Women Taskforce funding pot is a dedicated pool of capital to support female-powered businesses and fund managers to be deployed via a number of routes that meet the Invest in Women Taskforce criteria. It is funded by major investors Barclays, M&G, the British Business Bank, Morgan Stanley, the Visa Foundation, BGF and Aviva. The funding aims to address the significant gender disparities in the UK investment landscape by providing targeted support to female entrepreneurs and investors across the UK.
Can founders apply directly for funding from the Invest in Women Taskforce?
No, the Invest in Women Taskforce does not invest directly in businesses. Capital will be deployed either directly by investors themselves (British Business Bank, Aviva, BGF and Morgan Stanley) or via the Fund of Funds model. To find out more about funding, please visit our “About the Taskforce” page.
Does the funding pool focus on certain industries or sectors for funding?
The funding pool covers all sectors from Life Sciences, to Sustainability and Healthcare. Please see our infographic for more information.
How can fund managers get involved with the Taskforce funding pool?
Fund managers can get involved through our Partner programmes or express interest in the future Fund of Funds that meet the Taskforce criteria.
More information can be found here:
Fund of Funds: Bootstrap4f
Partner programmes:
- British Business Bank: Enterprise Capital Funds, Patient Capital Funds, Regional Angels Programme
- Aviva: Aviva Venture Capital
- BGF: Looking for funding?
- Morgan Stanley: Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures
How can I access funding from the Fund of Funds?
Female founders can apply for funding from the female-led General Partners who will be selected to deploy the capital by the Fund of Funds. We will endeavor to keep our website and LinkedIn update as fund activity progresses.
What kind of businesses are eligible for funding through the Fund of Funds?
The Fund of Funds targets all stages, all sectors, and all regions across the UK. These businesses will be female-led or have at least one female founder or senior executive holding at least 10% equity stake in the business.
Why not just focus on getting money straight to female entrepreneurs when they need it?
The aim is to create a fundamental shift in how capital is raised and deployed in the UK, making it an equal opportunity environment for female entrepreneurs. While deploying capital directly to founders could have been simpler, and some of our partner programmes deploy directly to founders (BGF, Aviva, and Morgan Stanley), the dual-track strategy also addresses the need for more female investment managers in the UK.
How can I learn more about the Invest in Women Taskforce?
To stay updated with our latest information, please join our community on LinkedIn.