Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
It’s only a few days until the 2019 BAFTAs and I’m heading to the charity’s home in the West End of London.
The café is abuzz with clinking mugs, gently rumbling chatter and the whooshing sound of the steamer on the coffee machine.
I’m meeting Sarah Turner, CEO of Angel Academe, an angel investment network supporting tech businesses with at least one female founder.
She’s sitting next to the window in a high-backed purple chair – I feel as if I’m about to present a pitch to her. As I take the seat opposite, I wonder if she feels the same way.
We’ll be talking about the difficulties that women face both as entrepreneurs and in becoming investors themselves.
Research from the British Business Bank recently found that only 1p out of every £1 of venture capital funding goes to female start-ups. At the current rate, it will take over 25 years for all-female teams to receive 10p for every £1 of venture capital investment. A huge 89pc is going to all-male teams with the remaining 10pc going to mixed gender teams.
Meanwhile, the UK Business Angels Association (UKBAA) says that a meagre 14pc of the UK’s angel investors