Female founder EIS fund opportunities have taken a major step forward in the UK, as Angel Academe announces the launch of the country’s first Enterprise Investment Scheme dedicated exclusively to backing women-led startups. Created in partnership with SyndicateRoom, the new fund is designed to drive capital into high-potential female-founded technology businesses-starting with a first-year fundraising target of £1.2M.
The London-based angel network has spent over a decade championing women in tech through co-investment with experienced angels. Now, with this fund, Angel Academe aims to transform that mission into a national investment vehicle, giving individuals the chance to participate from as little as £10,000. Investors will benefit from the full suite of EIS tax reliefs, including 30% income tax relief and capital gains deferral, while directly tackling one of the UK startup ecosystem’s most persistent inequalities.
Investing in female founders isn’t charity – it’s smart business
Anyone following early-stage investment trends knows that funding remains stubbornly concentrated among male-led startups. Yet a growing body of research suggests that the real opportunity lies elsewhere. Studies by Boston Consulting Group and the Kauffman Foundation show that women-led startups can deliver significantly higher returns-sometimes twice as much per dollar invested. Meanwhile, academics from the Universities of Glasgow and Leicester have linked gender-diverse executive teams with stronger business performance.
Despite that, all-female founded companies received just 1.8% of total UK equity funding in the first half of 2024, according to data from Beauhurst. That disconnect between potential and allocation is exactly what the female founder EIS fund intends to address.
“Too often, efforts to address the funding gap have been focused on words rather than actions,” said Sarah Turner, co-founder and CEO of Angel Academe. “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.”
Female founder EIS fund opens a new route for early-stage investors
Angel Academe is working with SyndicateRoom to bring this opportunity to both seasoned and first-time investors. Known for its data-driven approach and EIS-compliant fund management, SyndicateRoom brings the operational rigour needed to support the new fund as it co-invests in female-founded tech startups from Q4 2025 onwards.
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 female founder EIS fund is not just about access-it’s about impact at scale. Backed by Angel Academe’s ten-year track record, which includes 54 female-founded portfolio companies across more than 100 rounds and over £200M raised in co-investment, the new initiative offers a rare combination of mission-aligned investment and proven execution.
From network to movement
Founded in 2014, Angel Academe has built a reputation as the UK’s leading angel group focused on women-led innovation. Its members-comprising successful entrepreneurs, technologists and senior executives-have quietly created one of the most active pipelines of female-founded tech startups in the country. With the launch of this fund, Angel Academe is transitioning from network to movement, putting capital to work where the data shows it can make the most difference.
The first close of the fund is expected to coincide with Q4 2025 investment activity, with an initial £1.2M target. Over time, the organisation plans to expand the fund into a larger annual vehicle, bringing more co-investors on board to fuel a broader portfolio of scalable, high-performing, women-led companies.
Turner summed up the opportunity plainly: “It’s not about pledges – it’s about action.” With the new female founder EIS fund, that action starts now.
