The Investment Gap: New Research by Creative UK Explores Why Female Founders Secure Less Investment

Ivana Karabova Sep 22, 2026, 10:13:45 AM

The new research explores the experiences of female founders in the screen industries and identifies opportunities to create a more inclusive investment ecosystem

Today, 8 September 2026, Creative UK publishes a new report highlighting the barriers female founders face when seeking investment for screen businesses and setting out practical recommendations to create a more inclusive investment ecosystem.

Titled The Investment Gap: Understanding Investment Barriers for Female Founders, the report explores the lived experiences of female founders across the screen industries, examining the interpersonal, structural and systemic factors that shape investment outcomes. Based on interviews with a focus group, the research provides new insight into why female founders continue to secure less investment than their male counterparts.

The findings suggest that female founders are ambitious, strategic and highly motivated to grow sustainable businesses beyond project-to-project work. However, many encounter an investment landscape shaped by cognitive bias, and structural barriers that make accessing finance more challenging. The report builds on previous Creative UK research, which found that female-led screen businesses secure around half the amount of external funding received by their male counterparts and account for just 29% of total registered investment value despite representing 41% of screen businesses.

Alongside identifying the challenges, the report outlines a series of recommendations aimed at improving investment outcomes for female founders. These include strengthening investment readiness and negotiation support, expanding mentorship and peer networks, creating more accessible routes to investor engagement, and increasing investor understanding of both female-led businesses and screen-sector business models. The findings reinforce the importance of sustained support for underrepresented founders while highlighting the need for broader collaboration across the investment ecosystem.

Haley Edwards, Head of Creative Enterprise at Creative UK, said:

"This research gives voice to experiences that many female founders have been sharing for years. What emerges is an investment environment that too often undervalues expertise, relies on inaccessible networks, and places additional scrutiny on female founders. The findings also point to clear opportunities for change. Through Creative Enterprise, we've seen the impact that targeted business support, investment readiness and strong networks can have in helping founders grow. By bringing together founders, investors and industry partners, we can help create an investment landscape that better recognises and supports the potential of female-led screen businesses."

Sara Whybrew, Director of Skills and Workforce Development at BFI:

"This report from Creative Enterprise amplifies the importance of dedicated support for Female Founders to access finance in a landscape that remains unequal. Gender power imbalances are unnecessary and prevent us from telling the diversity of stories that we welcome seeing on screen. We give thanks to Creative Enterprise for the part they are playing in trying to change this."

To continue the conversation and turn the report's recommendations into action, Creative Enterprise will host Investing in Change on 9 September 2026. The online roundtable will bring together founders, investors, policymakers, industry leaders and support organisations to discuss the report's findings and explore practical solutions to improve investment opportunities for female-led screen businesses. The discussion will be moderated by Dr Tamanda Walker, Founder and Director of Roots & Rigour and Co-Director of AiAi Studios, and will feature insights from Emily Bailey, Co-Founder of JECO; Dominique Webb, Co-Founder and Producer at IF IT IS; Richard Bearman, Chief Development Officer at the British Business Bank; and Ana Cavez, business executive, angel investor and startup advisor. Together, they will explore how different parts of the investment ecosystem can work together to create more equitable pathways to finance for female founders.