For women-led businesses, female angel investors play a critical role in helping them take off. This is exactly what we need to strive for; an investment landscape that reflects society, says Hannah Bernard
Startup founders and investors are the two sides of the entrepreneurship coin. Anyone who cares about entrepreneurs, should also care about the environment in which investors operate. Often the first to back fledgling firms, angel investors are a crucial source of early-stage capital and guiding wisdom – critical for companies navigating the challenging early phases of business development.
We know from previous research that who invests translates directly into who gets investment. This means that diverse deal flows rely on the diversity of the investment community. That is why we at the Invest in Women Taskforce are proud to have gathered commitments for a £255m funding pot from institutional investors to back women-led businesses, via female investors, providing a much-needed catalyst to change the investment landscape for women.
We also know that women represent a small minority of the overall angel investor population. Increasing their number will significantly impact the amount of capital available for female founders as, time and again, we see that women back women.
Increasing the female angel population
To understand how to increase the female angel population, the Invest in Women Taskforce has partnered with The Entrepreneurs Network, a think tank, to produce a report that we were delighted to publish yesterday in parliament. It draws on the insights from six roundtables convened in different parts of the UK. We heard a range of views from active and prospective angel investors, leaders of angel groups and syndicates, and other key players in the ecosystem.
What our research found was that angel syndicate and groups – collaborative networks of individual investors who pool resources to make larger investments – really do make a difference. These groups are also a source of education and support that is valued by new angel investors.
That said, the picture was far from perfect. For example, we found gaps still exist in investors’ knowledge. Despite the advantages of the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and its seed-stage equivalent SEIS, awareness of these tax reliefs remains low among investors. That is why the report calls for the government to bring together angel groups and financial services firms to significantly boost knowledge and uptake of these vital initiatives.
All too often, angel investing has an unhelpful reputation of being a pastime of the ultra-wealthy. But that is increasingly not the case. Some angel groups are making more affordable investment entry points available, which revolutionises angel investing for women in particular. This democratisation provides a crucial pathway for newcomers to gain confidence and experience.
All too often, angel investing has an unhelpful reputation of being a pastime of the ultra-wealthy. But that is increasingly not the case
This, however, comes with challenges. Sustaining these inclusive angel groups is costly, particularly in less developed regional investment ecosystems. New and small angel groups can also struggle to benefit from co-investment programmes; the Regional Angels Programme, launched in 2019 by the British Business Bank to boost regional investment, has deployed £150m with 85 per cent going to companies outside London, but accessibility remains an issue. Many nascent and smaller angel groups, which include a lot of female-led ones, struggle to meet eligibility criteria that favour well-established, VC-like entities in financial hubs. To foster diverse and emerging angel communities, there is an opportunity for the Regional Angels Programme to address some structural barriers that our report identifies and expand its reach, ensuring more angel ecosystems from across the regions can benefit from its support.
More and more women are stepping up to tackle disparities in their communities. For women-led businesses, female angel investors play a critical role in helping them take off. This is exactly what we need to strive for; an investment landscape that reflects society and generates value and economic growth – together we can build a more inclusive and accessible ecosystem where every woman has the opportunity to thrive.
Hannah Bernard OBE is a Co-Chair of the Invest in Women Taskforce, which together with The Entrepreneurs Network today publishes Gaining Altitude: Female Angel Investors Across the Regions.