Manchester has been named the UK’s leading city outside London to start a business, according to new research from National Women’s Enterprise Week, revealing the growing strength of regional “hidden hubs” for women entrepreneurs.
The survey of 1,000 UK female entrepreneurs found that 41% named Manchester as either the best or second best UK city outside London to start a business, with one in four (27%) naming it the top spot. This is followed by Birmingham at 14% and Liverpool at 5%.
The findings suggest that women-led entrepreneurship is increasingly being built beyond the capital, with founders recognising the benefits of lower costs, greater flexibility and stronger regional opportunities.
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National Women’s Enterprise Week was founded by Alison Cork MBE as a UK-wide campaign to help close the gender gap in business ownership, with around one in five UK businesses currently woman-led.
The research, carried out by Sapio Research, aims to examine whether funding, visibility and networks are keeping pace with where women-led businesses are actually being built. While London remains a critical centre for business and finance, the findings suggest that London-centric assumptions around growth risk disadvantaging women founders who are choosing to build viable businesses elsewhere.
More than half (52%) of women entrepreneurs agree that building a business outside London offers greater opportunities, while the same proportion say lower costs are one of the top benefits of establishing a business outside the capital.
However, the research also reveals that there is still bias towards London in how entrepreneurs and investors think about growth. Nearly six in ten women entrepreneurs (58%) agree businesses based in London are taken more seriously than those outside London, while 61% believe a London address signals that a business is well-established or successful.
This perception is even stronger among investors. A separate survey of 200 business investors who have invested in UK businesses found that 78% agree businesses based in London are taken more seriously than those outside London, while 80% say a London address signals that a business is well-established or successful. More than half (52%) have required or encouraged a business they invest in to relocate to London at least once.
Among women entrepreneurs based outside London, more than a third (37%) say they have felt pressure to move their business to the capital in order to grow. Yet the majority do not want to leave their local area: 76% say that, if funding, visibility and opportunity were equal across the UK, they would still choose to base their business where it is today.
Alison Cork, founder of National Women’s Enterprise Week, said: “Manchester topping the list is an important signal, but the bigger story is what it says about the changing geography of entrepreneurship in the UK.
“Women are building ambitious businesses in cities, towns and communities across the country, not just in London. The opportunity is already there, but visibility, networks and investment have not always kept pace.
“What this research reveals is a tension between where founders see opportunity and where many people still believe success is supposed to happen. We need to stop thinking of regional growth as an alternative to London and start recognising it as a major driver of the UK’s entrepreneurial economy.”
Isabel Oswell, BEM, director of business audiences at the British Library, said: “At the British Library we are committed to supporting businesses across the whole of the UK and two-thirds of our entrepreneurs, of which 65% are women, are based outside of London. Our Business & IP Centres (BIPC) are in 20 cities across the country, including Manchester, where we will be hosting a major event to mark National Women’s Enterprise Week. The Enterprise Week’s findings are a testament to the strength of regional entrepreneurship, which we continue to support and celebrate.”
The research also highlights the need for more targeted support. Only 35% of women entrepreneurs say they have all the access and support they need, while 42% say they have some access but could do with more. Lack of funding and low visibility are the joint top challenges women face when growing their business from their current location, each cited by 27%.
The findings are being released to coincide with National Women’s Enterprise Week’s Own It: Speed Mentoring for Female Founders event in Manchester on 19th June 2026. The research supports the event’s wider message around improving access to practical support, mentoring, networks and visibility for women founders across the UK.
