BGF, the UK active growth capital investor, has made a commitment of £300m to the Invest in Women Taskforce’s funding pool to support female-powered businesses.
This is 10% of the BGF’s broader £3bn pledge to grow the next generation of high-potential UK companies over the next five years.
The £300m builds on BGF’s initial £25m commitment to the Invest in Women Taskforce (IWT) initiative, which raised more than £250m last year.
It takes the IWT’s total funding pool to over half a billion.
IWT data from Beauhurst shows that in 2024, just 2.0% of UK equity investment went to all-female founded teams, down from 2.5% in 2023.
BGF’s new commitment aims to help close this gap, unlocking opportunity for diverse leadership and driving economic growth in every region across the UK.
Debbie Wosskow, co-chair of the Invest in Women Taskforce (The left of chancellor Rachel Reeves in the picture above), said the investment “marks a turning point in how we back women-led enterprise” and “setting a minimum proportion of invested funds is exactly the kind of action that can start to reshape our business landscape for the better.”
But she added: “The scale of the challenge is vast – we need more institutions to show the leadership and vision that BGF have by pledging support to female entrepreneurs and investors – and reap the commercial returns and economic benefits it can yield.”
BGF has proven to be the most active investor in female-led scale ups for the past five years, having invested £500m since 2011.
BGF backs earlier-stage businesses in the life sciences and deep tech sectors, and growth-stage businesses typically generating £1m to £10m profit.
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