As female founders continue to trail their male counterparts in terms of access to funding, an event in Manchester aims to help them break down the barriers.
The Rise & Thrive event on Tuesday 27 May is the latest in a series organised by Mercia Asset Management, one of the UK’s most active SME finance providers, to offer practical support to ambitious female entrepreneurs and managers. The event will focus on developing a ‘Positive Mindset in the Rain’ with advice from leadership and resilience coach Janet Grant, and provide an opportunity to network and share insights.
Research shows that women founders raise only a fraction of the sums raised by males and the gap is slow to close or, in some cases, is growing. A report by the British Business Bank found that in 2022, only 15% of venture capital went to companies with a woman among the founders, and a mere 2% to all-female-founded companies.
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According to Dealroom and Female Foundry, in Europe as a whole, businesses with a woman amongst the founders accounted for just 12% of venture capital in 2024 – similar to 2023 and up only slightly from 10% in the previous three years.
Meanwhile Pitchbook figures show in the US, the number of VC deals to female-founded and female co-founded companies fell by 23% from its peak in 2021 until 2023. It also reported a 42% decline in active female angel investors in Europe, making to finance harder for women.
Through Mercia and its sister company Frontier Development Capital (FDC), businesses can access venture capital, private equity and debt investment ranging from £100k to £10m.
Angela Warner, managing director, Mercia Investments, said: “Mercia and FDC are committed to supporting growing businesses but we know that for a variety of reasons, women continue to face significant barriers in access to funding. Through initiative such as the Rise & Thrive events, we aim to reach out to women in different communities, encourage them to come forward and help them break down the barriers to pursue their growth ambitions.”
The Rise & Thrive event will take place at 4pm on Tuesday 27 May at Clarence House, Manchester. To reserve a place, visit the Mercia website.
