E692 | Debbie Wosskow OBE, Chair of the UK’s Invest in Women Task Force: Mixed Teams, Better Returns, Real Incentives

Debbie Wosskow, seasoned founder‑turned‑investor, now co‑chairs the UK’s Invest in Women Taskforce, a government‑backed, industry‑led initiative aimed at redirecting institutional capital toward gender‑balanced enterprises. Since its launch, the taskforce has secured £635 million—far exceeding its initial £250 million target—demonstrating that political will can mobilise sizable funding pools. By positioning gender equity as a driver of outsized returns rather than a pure diversity checkbox, the programme aligns the interests of pension funds, sovereign wealth, and private investors with the growth potential of female‑led and mixed‑team startups.

Data highlighted in the conversation shows mixed‑gender founding teams deliver roughly 35% higher returns than all‑male teams, and female‑only founders achieve comparable performance when given equal access to capital. Wosskow urges women entrepreneurs to adopt the same pitch language and rigor as their male counterparts, leverage the UK’s SEIS/EIS tax‑advantaged schemes, and tap the taskforce’s mapped investor syndicates. She also debunks myths that women simply don’t start high‑growth businesses—one in five UK high‑growth firms have female founders, yet only 2% survive investment committee scrutiny, underscoring the need for stronger networks and clearer fundraising narratives.

For investors, the clearest lever is hiring women into investment committees and GP roles, which directly expands the top‑of‑funnel pipeline and unlocks dedicated fund‑of‑funds capital for gender‑balanced teams. Policy makers can reinforce this by embedding gender‑equity metrics into pension fund mandates and expanding initiatives like the Mansion House Compact. Ultimately, systemic change requires coordinated effort across founders, capital providers, and regulators to transform the gender gap from a social issue into a high‑return investment thesis.