Obu wants to close gender investment gap

Based in the United Kingdom, the new online investing platform Obu, wants to increase the number of female investors in the country. The platform aims to connect women angel investors with female-founded businesses.

At the moment, only 14 percent of angel investors in the United Kingdom are women. Obu wants to increase this to 30 percent by 2030.

All-female founding teams got 6% of VC funding

The platform’s co-founders Sarah King and Claire Dunn led a campaign called Over Being Underfunded in 2021, to highlight the inequalities in the investment sector for women-founded businesses. According to a study, all-female founding teams only received 6 percent of VC funding in 2022. Black female founders received even less, only 0.02 percent of VC funding in the last 10 years.

‘The platform was designed with women angels in mind.’

Obu wants to create a more equal, progressive and innovative startup system. “The Obu Platform and Collective have been designed with women angels in mind — the customer journeys, the way information is presented, the language we use, the guidance we provide has all been built to disrupt and demystify investment”, said King.

Funding up to 250,000 pounds

“We are building a new table and we are welcoming eligible women and ally investors who recognize the need for change to pull up a chair.” The platform will focus on female-founded businesses in the sectors fintech, AI, edtech, femtech, food and drink, and health and beauty. It will facilitate funding up to 250,000 pounds.

‘We welcome women from all backgrounds to invest within their means.’

The platform is open to eligible investors who align themselves with the platform’s mission. “Obu is opening a pathway to eligible women from all ethnic backgrounds, regions, and classes to invest within their means to create positive economic futures for themselves and for their families and communities.”