Scottish investment summit empowers women to become angel investors

Women angel investment group, Mint Ventures, recently hosted the ‘Women Backing Women Investment Summit Scotland’ event at the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters in Edinburgh. The event, held in collaboration with UKBAA, aimed to inspire and empower more women to become Angel Investors and invest in women-led start-up businesses in Scotland.

Over 60 female potential and experienced angels and business owners gathered at the event to learn and share their experiences of investing in early-stage companies in Scotland. Despite women making up half of the population and growing in wealth, they currently represent just 14% of Angel Investors in the UK. The event sought to educate attendees on the paths to becoming an Angel Investor and support the Women Backing Women campaign’s goal to increase the number of Angel Investors in the UK to 30% by 2030.

Reports like the Beauhurst Women Angel Insights and IWC report highlighted the disparity in funding given to male teams compared to female-led start-ups. This lack of female Angel Investors is having a negative impact on women entrepreneurs in Scotland, with only 10% of Women Angel Investments being made in the region compared to 63% in London.

Supported by the Scottish Government Ecosystem Fund, UKBAA, Women Backing Women Campaign, and RBS, the event emphasized the benefits of becoming an Angel Investor, such as tax breaks, business expertise, and networking opportunities. Ana Stewart, co-author of the Pathways review of Women Entrepreneurship in Scotland, shared her entrepreneurial journey and the importance of female investors in supporting start-up businesses.

Experienced Angel Investors like Mary McKenna, Rhona Campbell, Tracey Rob Perera, and Gillian Fleming also shared their investment journeys at the event. Female entrepreneurs spoke about their challenges in securing funding and the impact of having women angels on board to support their growth.

Gillian Fleming, co-founder of Mint Ventures, stressed the importance of supporting women-led businesses and the need for more women angels in the investment ecosystem. Mint Ventures offers a six-month online training program to help women qualify as sophisticated investors, enabling them to start Angel Investing. For more information on the program, visit www.mintventures.co.uk.