Angel Academe launches UK’s first female founder EIS fund
Funding | Jun 18, 2025 | Business Cloud
Angel Academe has launched the UK’s first female founder-focused Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) fund in partnership with fund manager SyndicateRoom. This fund provides early-stage investors the chance to engage in a high-return asset class starting at £10,000, alongside seasoned angels, while offering entrepreneurs access to full EIS tax benefits like 30% income tax relief on up to £1 million invested. Despite studies suggesting higher capital efficiency and ROI for women-run businesses, all-female founders continue to receive a mere fraction—a paltry 1.8%—of equity capital in the initial half of 2024. This initiative seeks to rectify this disparity, emphasizing a shift from mere pledges to concrete financial support targeted at innovative female-led enterprises. It further aims to grow into a larger annual fund. SyndicateRoom's Tom Britton highlights this as an opportunity to tap into a market inefficiency for better investment diversification.
Sectors
- Private Equity & Venture Capital
- Diversity and Inclusion
Geography
- United Kingdom – The article refers to the launch of the UK’s first female-focused EIS fund, indicating the geographical scope is primarily the United Kingdom.
Industry
- Private Equity & Venture Capital – The article discusses the launch of an investment fund, focusing on the funding and investment aspects relevant to private equity and venture capital sectors.
- Diversity and Inclusion – The fund targets female founders, addressing gender-based inequalities in the funding realm, a significant issue within diversity and inclusion in business.
Financials
- Starting at £10,000 – The minimum investment amount for participating in the EIS fund.
- 30% income tax relief on up to £1 million – The tax benefit offered under the EIS scheme.
- 1.8% – Percentage of equity capital secured by all-female founded businesses in the first half of 2024.
Participants
| Name | Role | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angel Academe | Fund Manager | Company | An angel network focusing on investing in women leaders and innovators. |
| SyndicateRoom | Fund Manager | Company | Partner with Angel Academe in managing the enterprise investment scheme fund. |
| Sarah Turner | Co-founder and CEO | Person | Co-founder and CEO of Angel Academe, advocating for more directed financial support for female-founded businesses. |
| Tom Britton | Co-founder | Person | Co-founder of SyndicateRoom, supporting the fund’s emphasis on market inefficiencies as an investment opportunity. |