Bootstrap4F today announces that its pioneering Women backing Women fund of funds for the Invest in Women Taskforce has reached a formal first close of £130 million with a focus on investing in female-led and mixed investment teams in the UK.
It brings together private and public institutional capital from four of the leading financial institutions in the UK: Barclays, the British Business Bank, M&G plc and Nationwide. The fund of funds will invest in fund managers that meet gender diversity and commercial returns criteria. It is designed to support female fund managers and female founders, and to act as a catalyst to change how capital in the UK is allocated.
Bootstrap4F will now begin investing in fund managers that meet these criteria following a competitive selection process managed by the Invest in Women Taskforce. The team brings a collective history of £4.4 billion in fund selection.
The fund of funds contributes to the Invest in Women Taskforce’s £635 million funding pool, of which over £70 million has already been deployed.
Out of £18 billion equity investment in 2025, fully female-founded teams received just 1.75%. That’s the problem we set out to fix, with institutional capital and commercial rigour. We needed to change what ‘normal’ looks like, and it is a market correction that is long overdue. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built with our investment partners – it is an historic achievement, and we’re delighted that institutions have recognised the opportunity on the table. They have shown real leadership. We now need more investors to come aboard and join us on this journey.
This is not an act of goodwill, it is a commercial and economic imperative. Women-led businesses deliver 35% higher returns and re-directing capital to female and mixed teams represents one of the most significant untapped opportunities for UK economic growth. The breadth of institutional backing in this first close demonstrates the investment ecosystem is beginning to act on what the evidence shows.
Securing £130m in commitments, with Barclays, the British Business Bank, M&G plc and Nationwide, is an exceptional outcome in this market. We have built the infrastructure to deploy capital efficiently, and the funds that have expressed interest so far are both strong and high in quality. We are committed to making every investment count.
The formal first close of the Invest in Women Taskforce fund of funds marks a significant step forward in building a more inclusive investment ecosystem in the UK. The evidence is clear: greater gender diversity in investment teams leads to better outcomes for female founders. The British Business Bank is proud to support that mission both through our commitment to the Taskforce, and by deploying capital directly via our capital allocation units to fund emerging female managers. While we are still in the early stages of the market change we need to see, the direction of travel is clear – and it’s a win-win for both diversity and returns.
