An upcoming educational programme in Manchester is aiming to create a new wave of women angel investors – which could solve the lack of investment going towards female-led businesses.
The free programme starts this Friday 10th January, and will set 25 women on the path to becoming angel investors. It is being delivered by experts Lifted Ventures, and backed by the publicly-funded Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub.
Angel investors are typically individuals who invest their own money into a small business, as well as offering entrepreneurship expertise.
Supporting female-founded businesses with new investors
The educational initiative has two desired outcomes. Firstly, to grow the number of women angel investors. Secondly, as a consequence of that, direct more investment towards female-led businesses in Manchester.
The two-and-a-half month programme is organised by Lifted Ventures, led by investment experts Helen Oldham and Jordan Dargue. Together they also co-founded Fund Her North, a precursor to Lifted Ventures which looked to bring together women in the investment industry to support female founders.
Jordan Dargue said: “Out of all the angel investors in the UK only 14% of them are women, and over 11% of those are based in London.
“We’re on a mission to increase diversity in the landscape and increase the number of active women angels in the North.”
The knock-on effect of this new wave of women angel investors is that further growth and support may go towards female-founded businesses in Greater Manchester.
This is because women investors tend to be more willing to invest in female entrepreneurs – “we know women back women”, Dargue explained. So by increasing the numbers of these investors, this will also ultimately drive more investment towards female-led small businesses.
Doing so can be a small step towards redressing the unequal distribution of investment funds seen across the continent. Less than 2% of European venture capital investment went towards female business founders in 2024, according to PitchBook.
Becoming an angel investor
The programme is inviting women in a position to invest to get involved even if they have no experience in backing early stage businesses. Lifted Ventures doesn’t have a minimum investment limit, so Dargue has seen new angels invest as little as £2000 into a business, all the way up to £100,000.
The younger generation is increasingly getting involved in programmes and networks such as this, Dargue said. “It shows that people are thinking more philanthropically around wanting to help the economy”.
But being an angel investor has benefits beyond philanthropy.
Putting money behind a successful business can be an alternative way for individuals to look after their future finances. For example, a number of government incentive schemes provide tax reliefs to investors buying new shares.
Personal career development can be another benefit for women becoming angel investors.
Dargue explained: “It can actually help the women progress in their careers if they’re seen to be advising and supporting businesses. We’ve seen it so many times.
This women angels education programme will enable more women to understand angel investment further, helping them to make better informed decisions when it comes to backing early stage businesses.”
Overall, the initiative looks to highlight the benefits, risks, and regulations involved when becoming an angel investor. The programme’s kick-off event is on Friday January 10th at the NatWest Group offices in Spinningfields.
Featured image courtesy of Lifted Ventures.
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