Women Who Scale, part of the SCALE platform for scaleup founders, investors and growth partners, has announced its Female Founders Pitch Competition will return on 25 November 2026, at Freight Island in Manchester.
The initiative aims to tackle the persistent underrepresentation of women in boardrooms, pitch rooms, and on cap tables – on both sides – recognising that female-led businesses receive disproportionately low levels of venture capital and equity investment. A recent parliamentary report confirmed that for every £1 invested in UK businesses through equity funding, only around 2p goes to all-female founder teams.
Female and non-binary founders are invited to apply now to pitch on 25 November. Applications are welcomed from women-led businesses headquartered in the North West of England.
Shortlisted entrants will be asked to submit a pitch deck. A select few founders will be invited to present to investors and a live audience of 300 entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem allies, at SCALE Manchester.
SCALE’s first pitch event in London in April saw underrepresented founders take to the stage at the Business Design Centre, and walk away with a package of scaleup support including £3,000 worth of coaching sessions from SCALE Ventures, 2 months free ‘Global Pro’ access to the Angel Investment Network platform, a 1-on-1 pitch review session and a dedicated shout-out in the AIN newsletter.
SCALE is delighted to confirm that the Angel Investment Network will once again play a pivotal role in shortlisting applications, judging on 25 November and connecting the winner and runner-up with potential backers.
The deadline for applications is the 16th of October. You can submit yours by clicking the link below. Get 20% off with code PRONORTH20 – discount applies on early bird tickets too, so be quick!
