Calling all female founders: why the Aquis IPO Academy could be for you
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Published:
May 12, 2026
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Juliet Gouldman, Head of Strategic and External Engagement at Barclays
For much of my career, I’ve been focused on tackling the barriers facing women who want to start and scale businesses. Headline statistics show that a stubbornly small share of investment goes to female founded companies. What’s perhaps less well known is that the gap doesn’t magically disappear as businesses grow. It’s just as stark at IPO stage, with only 7% of UK high growth IPOs since 2011 being founded by women.
In fact, in one year there were more founders called Steve leading an IPO than there were female founders. Kudos to all the Steves, but it’s clearly time for something to shift.
Encouragingly, there are meaningful signs of change. Through initiatives such as the Invest in Women Taskforce, capital is being channelled more intentionally towards female founders and investors. Alongside this, we’re seeing a growing emphasis on practical education and targeted support for women being considered from the outset, not bolted on as an afterthought.
One such initiative is Barclays’ partnership with Aquis Stock Exchange, which has created exactly the kind of support that can make a difference to scaling businesses: the Aquis IPO Academy in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs. It’s designed to help UK growth companies get public market ready — offering the insight, tools and access needed to explore whether an IPO could be the right next step for long term growth. This opportunity must work for women too, which is why we’ve set an ambition for 50% female founded participation, and why I’m calling on all talented female founders to consider if this could be for you.
Having the privilege of working with brilliant female founders at every stage of growth, one thing comes through loud and clear - ambition and talent are not the issue. We do, however, need to be able to match the right support to the right founder at the right moment to make the biggest difference. If this feels like your moment, please read on and do consider applying.
Recent research from Barclays and Aquis, Understanding the UK IPO Landscape, highlights three persistent issues:
Recent research from Barclays and Aquis, Understanding the UK IPO Landscape, highlights three persistent issues:
- IPO access remains highly concentrated, with London still dominating listings
- The gender gap is glaring — just 21 female founded high growth companies reached public markets between 2011 and mid 2025
- Too many strong businesses fall away at scale, never making the leap into public markets at all
The Academy is designed to tackle that drop off head on, bridging the space between private market success and public market confidence.
The free, six month programme (starting in September 2026) supports companies through every aspect of public market readiness: expert led workshops, tailored mentoring, a strong peer network, and direct access to investors. Participants receive guidance across finance, governance, regulation and pitch development, delivered through a thoughtful mix of in person and online sessions.
If you’re a woman founder or co founder running a business with £1m+ turnover, I really encourage you to consider applying. We’re asking applicants to put their names forward by the end of May.
Why this matters to me — and to us
At Barclays, we work with nearly a million small businesses. Through our Eagle Labs network alone, we’ve supported almost 20,000 scale ups, helping generate £1.3bn in additional value for the UK economy. We also know that women face distinct barriers, which is why we’ve invested in specialist coaching, female founder accelerators, and Women in Business Ambassadors nationwide.
At Barclays, we work with nearly a million small businesses. Through our Eagle Labs network alone, we’ve supported almost 20,000 scale ups, helping generate £1.3bn in additional value for the UK economy. We also know that women face distinct barriers, which is why we’ve invested in specialist coaching, female founder accelerators, and Women in Business Ambassadors nationwide.
The challenge remains stark. In 2025, just 1.75% of equity funding went to all female founding teams. Over time, those gaps compound, shaping who scales, who has choices about investments and exits, and ultimately who appears in the IPO data.
Helping more women to start, scale, raise capital, exit (and invest themselves!) isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s an economic imperative. That’s why we’ve supported over 250,000 women in business in the past three years, and why we’ve committed up to £50m to the Invest in Women Taskforce funding pool.
One final thought — and a nudge
Public markets aren’t right for everyone. Nor are they the only way to build something extraordinary. But for the right business, at the right stage, they can offer a powerful platform for credibility, scale and long term growth.
Public markets aren’t right for everyone. Nor are they the only way to build something extraordinary. But for the right business, at the right stage, they can offer a powerful platform for credibility, scale and long term growth.
So if your business is already turning over £1m+, and you’re curious about what IPO readiness actually looks like behind the headlines, consider this your invitation.
You can apply to the Aquis IPO Academy by the end of May.
