Closing the equity gap: Groundbreaking programme aims to boost Scottish female founders and investors
“By connecting experienced voices with emerging talent, we want to ensure that female-led businesses across Scotland can thrive” – Elizabeth Pirrie, AccelerateHER
A groundbreaking initiative to boost the number of female founders and investors in Scotland has kicked off.
AccelerateHER and sister organisation Investing Women Angels (IWA) - the all-female angel syndicate - have announced the return of their Women to Women (W2W) programme.
Following a successful pilot at the tail end of 2024, the programme will be led by “experienced female founders” who have previously raised multiple investment rounds, and investors from IWA and other angel syndicates.
Applications are being encouraged from female founders in Scotland who have, or are about to, start their investment journey, and from new or inexperienced angels and women interested in learning more about being an early-stage investor.
W2W, described as a first for Scotland, is designed to attract more businesswomen into angel investing and help address the equity gap between male and female led companies. Further support will be provided by W2W partners Burness Paull and Johnston Carmichael along with entrepreneurship ecosystem partners.
The new programme will commence from September 29 through to the end of October, with ongoing follow-up support for all its participant companies.
Elizabeth Pirrie, chief executive of AccelerateHER and board member of IWA, said the programme would “further our work to turn the dial for female founders and investment”.
She added: “By connecting experienced voices with emerging talent, we want to ensure that female-led businesses across Scotland can thrive.”
Paul Scullion, head of corporate finance at legal firm Burness Paull, said: “We are pleased to once again be partnering with the W2W programme following its successful launch last year. At Burness Paull we’re committed to using our position in the market to support initiatives that benefit Scotland's entrepreneurial ecosystem, and W2W perfectly aligns with this.
“By supporting female founders on their growth journey and increasing the number of women angels in the marketplace, this programme has the potential to drive tangible positive change,” he added.
To-date, IWA has invested more than £2.4 million in 26 companies, helping them to leverage in excess of £55m in investment.
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