Scotland’s first all-female angel syndicate, Investing Women Angels (IWA), and its sister organization, AccelerateHER, have launched the W2W initiative to boost the number of female angel investors and bridge the equity gap for women-led businesses. The program aims to connect women investors with female-led start-ups, offering guidance from seasoned investors and entrepreneurs.
Set to begin on December 12, 2024, the month-long series will include sessions led by experts like Gwen Edwards, Managing Director of the Silicon Valley chapter of Golden Seeds, a U.S.-based investment group focused on female-founded companies. Edwards and other leaders will demystify angel investment, covering topics like international strategy, due diligence, pitching, and communications. Legal partner Burness Paull and local ecosystem supporters will also contribute.
The initiative responds to the 2023 Pathways Report by Ana Stewart and Mark Logan, which revealed that women-founded start-ups in Scotland receive only 2% of total investment capital. With women currently making up less than 15% of Scotland’s angel investors, W2W hopes to emulate the success of the U.S.-based Springboard Programme, which drove a 40% increase in female investors and greater investment in women-led businesses.
Jackie Waring, IWA founder, said, “We’re thrilled to launch W2W to empower more women investors and help female founders scale their businesses globally.” Gwen Edwards added, “This program has the potential to replicate the ‘echo effect’ we’ve seen in the U.S., creating lasting benefits for Scotland’s female entrepreneurs.”
The program will run until mid-January 2025, with follow-up support for participants to ensure long-term impact.
