♀️ Female Founder LaunchPad: Grants, Funds, Networks and Accelerators.

If you are a female founder, chances are the odds are stacked against you.

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But how do you even the odds?

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With community, networks, mentors and surrounding yourself with the right people.

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We have compiled this resource of female supportive initiatives in business and technology - We hope this helps you in your innovation journey.

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1) Government & Public Grants / Awards — Women-Only

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• Women in Innovation Awards (Innovate UK)

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£50k grant + mentoring for innovative UK women entrepreneurs.
👉 https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/programme/women-in-innovation/ 

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• Women TechEU (EU)

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EU-funded €75k grant for deep-tech startups founded by women.
👉 https://womentecheurope.eu/ 

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• EU Prize for Women Innovators

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Top EU prize awarding up to €100k to Europe’s best women entrepreneurs.
👉 https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-prizes/european-prize-women-innovators-powered-eic-eit_en 

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• Women’s Enterprise Scotland

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Business centre & grants advisory hub for women-led businesses in Scotland.
👉 https://www.wescotland.co.uk/ 

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2) Private VC Funds & Angel Networks — Women-Only

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• Female Founders Fund (FFF)

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VC investing exclusively in startups led by women.
👉 https://femalefoundersfund.com/ 

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• Astia

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Invests in high-growth ventures with women in key equity leadership.
👉 https://www.astia.org/ 

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• Alma Angels

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UK angel community funding and mentoring female founders only.

👉 https://www.alma-angels.com/

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• Angel Academe

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UK angel network backing scalable tech ventures with a woman founder.
👉 https://www.angelacademe.com/ 

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• Fund F

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European VC supporting gender-diverse startups with women co-founders.
👉 https://www.fund-f.com/ 

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• January Ventures

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Early-stage VC with a strong focus on female & diverse founders.

👉https://www.january.ventures/

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• Pink Salt Ventures

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UK micro-VC investing solely in female-led tech startups.
👉 https://www.pinksaltventures.com/ 

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• Síe Ventures

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UK fund running Catalyst for women-led businesses in impact sectors.
👉 https://www.sie.ventures/ 

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• Investing Women Angels (Scotland)

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Scotland-based angel network for women-led startups.
👉 https://www.investingwomen.co.uk/ 

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• Women Backing Women (UKBAA)

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UK Business Angels Association initiative to grow women angel backing.
👉 https://ukbaa.org.uk/our-programmes/women-backing-women/ 

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• Coralus (SheEO)

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Crowdfunded interest-free loans for women-led social impact ventures.
👉 https://www.coralus.world/ 

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3) Networks & Communities — Women-Only

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• AllBright

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Global club, academy & community for ambitious women founders.
👉 https://www.allbrightcollective.com/ 

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• Female Founders Rise

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UK community for female founders to network & grow.
👉https://femalefoundersrise.com/ 

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• WEgate (EU)

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EU gateway connecting women entrepreneurs with funding & networks.
👉https://www.wegate.eu/ 

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• Women’s Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP)

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EU umbrella linking women entrepreneur organisations Europe-wide.
👉 https://wep.gov.in/ 

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• Everywoman

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UK network with awards, learning & community for women entrepreneurs.
👉 https://www.everywoman.com/ 

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• Novi

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Regional UK network empowering professional & founder women.
👉https://www.wearenovi.com/ 

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• Women in Business Network (WIBN)

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Local UK meetups for women running businesses.
👉 https://wibn.co.uk/ 

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4) Accelerators & Incubators — Women-Only

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• Barclays Eagle Labs Female Founder Accelerator

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9-week accelerator exclusively for women tech founders.
👉 https://labs.uk.barclays/what-we-offer/our-programmes/female-founder-accelerator/ 

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• Hatch Enterprise Female Founders Incubator

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Subsidised UK incubator tailored to women-led social & impact ventures.
👉 https://hatchenterprise.org/our-programmes/natwest-launchpad-sept-25/ 

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• Female Founders “Grow F” Accelerator

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Pan-European accelerator just for early-stage women tech founders.
👉 https://female-founders.org/startup-program/ 

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• Women Startup Competition (WSC)

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Pitch & mentoring competition exclusively for women-led startups.
👉 https://www.womenstartupcompetition.com/ 

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• EIT EWA (Empowering Women in Agrifood)

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EU agrifood incubator designed for women entrepreneurs.
👉 https://www.eitfood.eu/projects/ewa-empowering-women-in-agrifood 

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• AccelerateHER

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UK awards & support platform spotlighting women-led businesses.
👉 https://accelerateher.co.uk/ 

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• Grace Accelerator (Berlin)

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Berlin summer bootcamp for women founders to launch & fund startups.
👉 https://www.grace-accelerator.de/en/grace-berlin-accelerator.html 

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• StepFWD (Romania) (Majority women-focused)

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Pre-accelerator for underrepresented founders — strong women focus.
👉https://stepfwd.today/ 

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5) Mentoring & Leadership — Women-Only

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• MentorSET

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STEM-focused UK mentoring scheme for women.
👉 https://www.wes.org.uk/mentorset/ 

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• Cherie Blair Foundation Mentoring

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12-month virtual mentoring just for women entrepreneurs.
👉 https://cherieblairfoundation.org/what-we-do/programmes/mentoring/ 

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• AllBright Mentoring

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Built into the AllBright Academy — mentoring circles for women.
👉 https://www.allbrightcollective.com/accelerate 

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• EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women

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Global leadership & scaling programme for outstanding women founders.
👉 https://www.ey.com/en_gl/entrepreneurial-winning-women-europe 

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• Vital Voices VV Grow Fellowship

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International growth fellowship only for women entrepreneurs.
👉 https://www.vitalvoices.org/program/vv-grow-fellowship/ 

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• Ellevate Network

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Global women’s network with peer mentoring for founders & leaders.
👉 https://www.ellevatenetwork.com/ 

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• Lean In Circles

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Women-only peer support and mentoring groups worldwide.
👉https://leanin.org/ 

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✅ Trusted Women-Only Directories

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• Invest in Women Hub (UK)

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One-stop updated UK directory for women’s funding, mentors & more.

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👉 https://iiwhub.com/ 

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• WEgate (EU)

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EU’s dedicated portal for women entrepreneurs.

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👉 https://www.wegate.eu/ 

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