In September 2025, Cherie Blair announced a bold ambition: to empower one million women entrepreneurs by 2030 through training, digital tools, and networks. It is not a philanthropic gesture alone. It is an economic imperative.
Women make up half of the global talent pool, yet they receive less than 2 percent of venture capital funding. In the United Kingdom, female-only teams represent nearly 5 percent of startup deals but capture just 1.2 percent of available capital. Eighty-three percent of UK venture capital deals still go to all-male founding teams.
This imbalance is not only about representation. It is about missed opportunity. According to McKinsey Global Institute, closing the gender gap in the workforce and in entrepreneurship could add as much as 12 trillion dollars to global GDP by 2025. In other words, advancing equality is not just a moral priority but one of the largest untapped economic opportunities of our time.
Where Capital Meets Women Founders
While traditional venture capital continues to lag behind, there are funds, angel networks, and organisations that are actively backing women-led businesses. For entrepreneurs seeking capital and for investors looking for overlooked opportunity, these entities are building the path forward:
- Alma Angels — Early/Angel
- Angel Academe — Angel/Seed (UK tech)
- 37 Angels — Angel/Early (US)
- Astia Angels — Angel/Early
- Citrine Angels — Angel/Early
- Golden Seeds — Angel/Seed/Early
- Pipeline Angels — Angel (Women and nonbinary)
- Female Founders Fund — Seed-stage VC
- Ada Ventures — Pre-seed / Seed (UK/EU)
- Impact X Capital — Seed to Growth (Europe)
- Pink Salt Ventures — Seed/Early (UK/EU)
- Fund F — Pre-seed / Seed (Europe)
- January Ventures — Seed (US/EU/UK)
- Sie Ventures — Early/Growth (UK/EU)
- Borski Fund — Seed/Early (Netherlands)
- Revaia — Growth-stage (Europe)
- Jennifer Fonstad / Broadway Angels — Angel/Early
- Jonathan Sposato — Angel (only female-founded)
- Nicole Quinn / Lightspeed Ventures — Angel/VC (Consumer and Tech)
- Tugce Ergul / Angel Labs — Angel Accelerator (Global)
These firms and networks represent a growing ecosystem that recognises women as both creators of value and efficient stewards of capital.
Three CFO Takeaways for Women Founders
As a CFO, my perspective is that capital will always flow to well-prepared businesses. For women founders looking to engage with these funds, three principles matter most:
Metrics matter
Investors are increasingly focused on capital efficiency and disciplined cashflow. Demonstrating resilience and control of margins will strengthen any funding conversation.
Preparation wins
Before approaching any of the organisations above, ensure your financials are watertight. Many investors do not walk away because of the business model, but because of a lack of clarity in financial hygiene.
Target smart
Do not waste energy pitching funds without a mandate aligned to your stage or sector. Matching your profile to the right investor is one of the most overlooked aspects of the fundraising process.
The Takeaway
The real arbitrage is not in chasing the next overvalued unicorn. It is in backing women founders who are already building capital-efficient, resilient, and scalable businesses.
Cherie Blair's goal to empower one million women entrepreneurs is more than an ambition. It is a reminder that economic growth is hiding in plain sight. The opportunity is real, the capital is available, and the time is now.