A new Women in Tech & Investment Taskforce has launched in South Yorkshire after research revealed women hold just 18% of technology roles and receive only 10% of tech investment, despite evidence showing female-founded businesses generate significantly stronger returns on investment.
The launch comes as the government’s latest Investing in Women Code Annual Report reinforced the economic case for backing more female-led businesses, concluding that improving investment into female and ethnic minority-led businesses could increase the size of the UK’s equity market by around 13%.
The new taskforce brings together leaders from technology, investment, education and business support organisations to address what partners describe as one of South Yorkshire’s biggest barriers to future economic growth.
The taskforce is funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), the British Business Bank and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) via Barnsley Council’s Tech Town programme. It aims to ensure more women build careers in technology, found high-growth businesses and become investors in the region’s tech ecosystem.
The Taskforce will focus on four key priorities:
- Increasing the number of female tech founders starting and scaling businesses.
- Encouraging more women to become angel investors and improve access to early stage investment
- Supporting women already working in the sector to progress into leadership.
- Inspiring more girls and young women to pursue careers in technology.
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “South Yorkshire’s tech sector is growing fast, creating jobs, attracting investment and helping drive our economy forward. But we won’t unlock its full potential unless more women are able to build careers, start businesses and access the investment they need to grow, right here.
“Too often, talented women face barriers that simply shouldn’t exist. That’s not just unfair, it’s bad for South Yorkshire.”
Tracey Johnson, programme director for TechSY which delivers a focused programme to strengthen the tech economy, said, “This isn’t simply a diversity issue; it’s an economic opportunity and one we must address if we’re to unlock future tech growth.
“If South Yorkshire is serious about becoming one of the UK’s leading technology regions, we need to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate and succeed. We know female-founded businesses deliver strong commercial performance, yet too many women continue to face barriers to careers, leadership positions and investment.
“The government’s latest Investing in Women Code report reinforces that backing more women into business is good for growth.”
South Yorkshire’s tech ecosystem currently has a value of £3.7bn, a fourfold growth since 2019. The launch builds on a growing programme of activity designed to support women in technology and entrepreneurship. Activities will include research into women’s experiences in the sector, targeted founder support programmes and initiatives to increase access to investment.
Taskforce chair Helen Milner OBE, founder of Good Things Foundation in the UK and Australia, and Computer Weekly’s Number 1 Female Founder in UK Tech 2025/26, added: “Too often discussions about women in technology focus solely on the problem. This taskforce is focused on solutions. By bringing together employers, educators, investors and founders, we have an opportunity to create meaningful change and ensure more women can build successful careers and businesses in technology.”
The Taskforce brings organisations, including The FoundHERy, which supports a cohort of female founders to start and scale tech businesses, and a new education programme with Lifted Ventures designed to support more women to become angel investors. Alongside this, there will be support for women already working in tech, including those who convene meetups and community groups across South Yorkshire.
The taskforce is calling on employers, investors, founders, educators and technology professionals across South Yorkshire to support its work and help create a more inclusive and prosperous technology ecosystem – find out more here.
