The Invest in Women Taskforce is the most significant attempt in years to shift how women-led businesses access capital in the UK. Launched by the Chancellor in March 2025, it targets the structural barriers that stop female founders from raising growth capital. If you are building a company in 2026, its recommendations could change the funding options available to you.

What Is the Invest in Women Taskforce?

The taskforce is a government-backed body that brings together senior figures from banking, venture capital, angel investing, and entrepreneurship. Hannah Bernard, head of business banking at HSBC UK, and Debbie Wosskow co-chair the group. Wosskow is the founder of AllBright and a former chair of the ScaleUp Institute. The Treasury sponsors the taskforce, and it reports to the Chancellor.

Its work builds directly on the 2019 Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship. That review estimated that closing the funding gap could add up to £250 billion to the UK economy.

The taskforce does not lend money or issue grants itself. Instead, it acts as a catalyst. It sets expectations for banks and funds, publishes evidence, and coordinates existing programmes so that more capital reaches female founders.

Why It Matters in 2026

Women-led businesses still receive a small share of UK investment flows. In 2023, all-female founder teams received around 2% of UK venture capital investment (British Business Bank, 2024). Mixed-gender teams attracted a larger share. Even so, the same report found that women still received smaller average cheque sizes and fewer follow-on rounds.

The taskforce matters because it tackles these patterns at the source. Its stated priorities include:

• increasing the share of venture capital that goes to women-led businesses;
• expanding the pipeline of female angel investors and fund decision-makers;
• improving data collection so founders and policymakers can track progress;
• encouraging high-street banks and challenger lenders to lend more confidently to women-led SMEs.

The taskforce also recognises that the problem is not a shortage of good businesses. A 2018 Boston Consulting Group analysis found that women-led start-ups can generate higher returns per dollar invested than male-led start-ups. The barrier is more frequently a network gap, a data gap, or unconscious bias in investment committees.

What It Means for Your Funding Options

The taskforce is likely to influence several funding routes in 2026. Here is where you may see the biggest changes.

Bank lending and the British Business Bank

The British Business Bank channels public money through partner funds and lenders. The taskforce is likely to push for founder diversity data. This would become a standard condition of public funding, making it easier to track progress.

For founders, this means banks and funds may become more proactive in reaching women-led businesses. Keep your business plan current and your management accounts tidy. Lenders will still make decisions on commercial grounds, but the door should open wider.

Venture capital and angel investment

The taskforce is encouraging VC firms to set internal targets for female-founded deals and to publish their diversity statistics. If you are raising equity, research which funds have publicly backed its principles. Look for funds with female partners or advisers on their investment teams. Ask directly about their track record with women-led businesses.

Grants and public competitions

Grants remain one of the most attractive forms of funding because they do not dilute your ownership. The taskforce is likely to signpost founders to existing schemes and may influence the design of future competitions. Monitor Innovate UK, your local growth hub, and sector-specific funds such as clean tech, health, or creative industries.

How to Position Your Business to Benefit

You cannot apply to the taskforce directly. You can, however, make sure your business is ready to capitalise on the changes it is driving.

Get your financial house in order

Investors and lenders will still judge you on fundamentals. Prepare a three-year cash flow forecast and a clear profit and loss statement. Your capital plan should explain exactly how you will use the money. Use cloud accounting software to produce real-time figures. Check that your Companies House filings are accurate and up to date.

Build a deliberate network

Warm introductions still dominate UK investment. Join communities such as the UK Business Angels Association and the British Venture Capital Association. Women-focused networks like AllBright and the Forward Ladies community are also valuable. Attend pitch events, ask for feedback, and stay in touch with investors even when you are not actively fundraising.

Know your metrics

Have your key numbers ready before you enter any room. Most investors will want to see customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, monthly recurring revenue, churn rate, and gross margin. If you run a product business, know your unit economics, stock turn, and supplier terms.

Choose the right funding mix

Not every business should chase venture capital. Start Up Loans, peer-to-peer lending, revenue-based finance, and grants can all be appropriate. Match your funding to your growth stage and cash flow profile. Our guide to Start Up Loans for female founders explains one popular route.

What Happens Next and How to Stay Informed

The taskforce is likely to publish its first major recommendations during 2025 and 2026. Founders should watch for several developments.

A reporting framework for investors

The taskforce may introduce a voluntary or mandatory framework requiring funds to report the gender of the founders they back. This would make the data public for the first time and create accountability.

New public-funding conditions

Funds and lenders that receive British Business Bank backing may face stronger diversity conditions. This could include targets for women-led deals or requirements to demonstrate outreach efforts.

To stay informed, bookmark the relevant gov.uk pages and subscribe to British Business Bank newsletters. Follow updates from the British Venture Capital Association and the UK Business Angels Association. Your accountant, bank manager, or enterprise adviser can also flag changes as they happen.

The taskforce could mark a genuine turning point for women raising capital in the UK. Do not wait for every recommendation to take effect before you act. Start by getting your finances in order, building your network, and exploring the funding routes that already exist. Our guide to grants for women in business is a practical next step, as is our update on the British Business Bank’s new funding rules for women founders. For the bigger picture, read Women in Business: Key UK Facts.