LONDON, UK | May 1, 2025 — In a landmark move toward gender equity in entrepreneurship, the British Business Bank has launched a £7 million co-investment platform to accelerate funding for women-led startups across the UK. Managed by Haatch, this initiative strategically partners with five angel syndicates—two of them female-led—to channel early-stage capital into the hands of underfunded but high-potential women entrepreneurs.

At She’s In Business™, we know this funding gap is not due to a lack of talent, it’s a failure of access and representation. And this commitment signals a much-needed shift in the right direction.

Why It Matters: Women-Led, Underfunded, Overperforming

Despite contributing £85 billion annually to the UK economy, women-led SMEs receive just 9% of startup funding. In the tech sector, that gap widens even further, with women-founded firms securing just $1.8 billion in 2024, down 18% from 2022 (Tracxn).

This new platform aims to rebalance the scales by placing capital and confidence directly into women-led innovation hubs. Female-led syndicates like HERmesa and Sie Ventures are leading the charge, investing in tech-enabled, early-stage companies founded by women.

This is more than inclusion. It’s economic re-engineering.

Backed by Strategy, Not Symbolism

The platform, under the British Business Bank’s Regional Angels Programme, doesn’t just talk diversity — it builds it. With Haatch at the helm, this initiative also engages:

• CircleRock Capital (sector-agnostic innovation)
• The Games Angels (AI-driven gaming ventures)
• 2050 Capital (deep tech, AI, robotics, clean energy)

These sectors are critical to the UK’s economic future — and currently represent some of the biggest gaps in female founder representation. By placing women-led angel groups in direct partnership with these ecosystems, the initiative is broadening access at both founder and funder levels.

A Model That Mirrors Our Mission

At She’s In Business™, we’ve long championed a new approach to business growth, one that blends access to capital, strategic education, and community-driven leadership.

That’s why we celebrate programs like Haatch’s Female Founders Accelerator, which has empowered over 470 women with financial fluency and expanded networks. These results reflect what we see inside our own Expert to CEO MBA: when women are equipped with strategy and systems, they scale faster and lead stronger.

Success stories like:

• Murvah Iqbal (Hived) – Raised £36.1M
• Michelle He (Abound) – Secured £250M in debt funding
  …prove that when you invest in women, the return is exponential.

The Bigger Picture: It’s About Infrastructure

This £7 million isn’t just about today’s founders, it’s about designing an ecosystem that works for tomorrow’s CEOs.

As Jenny Tooth OBE, Chair of the UK Business Angels Association, put it:

“For the first time, the Regional Angels Programme will allow two proactive female-led groups to significantly increase their capacity to invest in more women-powered businesses across the UK.”

She’s In Business™ echoes this vision. Our work with emerging women leaders, from Birmingham to Bangalore, is rooted in the same belief: transformation requires structure, not slogans.

In Closing: The Future is Funded by Women

The British Business Bank’s £7M investment is more than capital, it’s a commitment to economic redesign. With the Investing in Women Code, £50M into female-led funds, and now this bold new platform, the UK is sending a clear message: the era of exclusion is ending.

And as more women rise, scale, and lead, She’s In Business™ will continue to champion the strategy, systems, and sisterhood needed to fuel their journey.

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