Recap of our “Fix the Gender Funding Gap” Event

Only 2% of VC funding goes to all-female teams, or what’s known as the gender funding gap. It’s a tragic stat but it comes with an enormous opportunity and responsibility to reshape the way wealth is used, grown and shared.  

 On the 12th of May 2025, First Wealth teamed up with Love Ventures to co-host an event with the purpose of asking one big question: 

How can we fix this?

Now you might be, “Why is a financial planning firm like First Wealth getting involved?”  Well, here’s the thing, at First Wealth we don’t just care about managing wealth. As a B Corp, we’re future focused and committed to building a fairer financial World.  That mean being visible, vocal and proactive on issues that matter – the funding gap being one of them!  

So, let’s break it down… 

What is the gender funding gap?

In short, women receive less funding than their male counterparts.  

The long story is that too many incredible women-led businesses still face systemic barriers to funding and growth. But it’s not for lack of talent while 2% of funding goes to all female teams, only 10.9% of VC funding goes to mix-gender founding teams in 2024 versus 89.6% to male co-founded companies.  

And no that isn’t because there aren’t enough female founders. It comes down to 4 main barriers: 

1. Women are underrepresented in key industries

It starts early, – there are less women who study STEM in school which leads to fewer Female founders to build business that attract the most VC investment – software and digital industries. 

2. Limited access to VC networks  

According to the British business bank only 36% of all-female teams secure a “warm introduction.” That’s a big problem in a network driven world. 

3. Fewer female decision-makers in VC 

61% of UK VC investment teams have no women at all. And VC firms with female partners are significantly more likely to back women-led businesses. Let’s be honest — people tend to invest in what they understand or relate to. A femtech business tackling menopause? Probably not high on the radar of all-male investment teams. 

4. Lack of confidence and awareness  

There’s a lack of confidence and awareness around what makes a good VC backed company. Studies also note that women entrepreneurs tend to be more conservative in their financial projections and less likely to overstate potential outcomes, even when their businesses have strong market opportunities 

There’s clearly a problem but what if we just change our perspective. Instead of focusing on all these dire statistics and trend let’s look at the actual opportunity (and trust us its big!) 

Female founders are an opportunity 

If women entrepreneurs were given equal footing, the UK could add up to £250 billion in new economic value.” 

Yes – that’s £250 Billion.  

That’s 10% of UK GDP. That kind of capital could feed every homeless person in the UK for the next decade. It could mean hundreds of thousands of jobs, new businesses, and a stronger economy for everyone. 

Now what can we do about it? 

What actions can we take to fix the gender funding gap? 

At our event, we heard from inspiring founders, seasoned investors, and thoughtful allies. Across the conversation, three standout ideas emerged: 

1. There’s no shortage of female founders. Just a shortage of funding to them.  

Make an effort to seek out female founders. If we want systemic change, we can’t just wait. We need to invest with intent.  

2. VC’s, angels and investors have rethink the old paybook. 

 Stop waiting for validation from your peers to back a company you believe in. It takes courage and conviction to do things differently, but it could be so worth it. 

3. Build communities that opens doors 

 First-time founders need access: to networks, feedback, and face time. That’s how we make VC more inclusive and unlock untapped talent. 

Although it may seem like a difficult undertaking, but with community, confidence, and the bravery to challenge the norm, we can drive change. 

We’re proud to have hosted this conversation and this is just the beginning. 

Let’s keep it going!  

This document is marketing material for a retail audience and does not constitute advice or recommendations. Past performance is not a guide to future performance and may not be repeated. The value of investments and the income from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amount originally invested.