Bootstrap4F has announced that its pioneering ‘Women backing Women’ fund of funds for the Invest in Women Taskforce has reached a formal first close of £130 million, a landmark moment for the UK’s investment ecosystem.
It brings together private and public institutional capital from four of the leading financial institutions in the UK: Barclays, the British Business Bank, M&G plc and Nationwide. This is a significant level of commitment to a fund of funds dedicated to female-led and mixed investment teams and is designed to act as a catalyst to change how capital in the UK is allocated.
Investments selected for the fund of funds will be required to meet gender diversity and commercial returns criteria. This reflects the Taskforce’s core conviction that backing female and mixed-gender teams is not simply the right thing to do, but a smart investment decision.
Bootstrap4F, selected following a competitive process managed by the Taskforce from over 25 applicants, will now begin investing in fund managers that meet these criteria. The team brings decades of combined experience and a collective history of £4.4 billion in fund selection.
Debbie Wosskow, Co-chair of the Invest in Women Taskforce, said: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built with our investment partners – it is an historic achievement and we’re delighted that institutions have recognised the opportunity on the table. They have shown real leadership. We now need more investors to come aboard and join us on this journey.”
