Diversity

Starting a business is never easy, but starting one as a female founder in a highly regulated industry brings its own unique set of challenges.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day, Accelerate Action, emphasises the significance of moving beyond the surface and committing to the long-term inclusion of women in the workplace. While the gender gap is narrowing globally, it will likely take another five generations – over 134 years – to fully close this gap. The call to #AccelerateAction is urgent.

The potential of AI to level up entrepreneurship was showcased in London last week, as fresh research finds over half of the UK’s Disabled entrepreneurs are embracing AI and many believe the technology could be a game-changer for their business.

In the end of 2019, just before the world would change forever with COVID-19, my co-founder and I (both seasoned veterans in the HR and global employment space) decided to take a bold leap.

Right now, we are seeing a movement where women are no longer prepared to wait. No longer prepared to wait for the equality that, as children, we were taught was a done deal.

Ying Liu is the head of AI R&D at the London-based startup TG0, and a pioneering researcher in human-computer interaction. Here she offers her advice to the next generation of female technology leaders.

Leadership is changing, and it’s a shift I find truly inspiring. A recent Deloitte report found that 87% of executives believe we’ll face a strong focus on gender diversity in the next five years. That’s not just a trend, but a necessity now, which only makes me proud, especially now, as we approach International Women’s Day.

A new gender and diversity index assessing the state of play for the European deeptech scene has been released, developed by the GENDEX project and funded by the EIC. The index is intended to identify gender diversity and inclusion gaps across the ecosystem and to offer actionable insights and recommendations for stakeholders to consider moving forward.

For decades, the boardroom has been a space of power, influence, and decision-making at the highest levels. But despite progress in leadership representation, women still hold just 23.3% of board seats globally. We talk about gender equity in the C-suite, in venture capital, in entrepreneurship – but what about at the top of corporate governance?

The UK has dropped to 18th place in PwC’s Women in Work Index, marking its worst ranking for workplace gender equality in ten years. A ‘sluggish’ pace in closing the gender pay gap and declining female workforce participation have pushed the UK further behind its peers, now ranking second-worst among G7 nations, behind Canada.

HiBob has released its fourth annual Women in the Workplace report, revealing men’s perceptions of workplace equality are out-of-touch with reality. 

Ahead of International Women’s Day, Rare Founders brought together a whole host of female founders to discuss the parts of the journey that women in business don’t often discuss in public. The raw, unfiltered truth, the struggles that are hidden behind their success, and the real-life experiences that female founders face on a daily basis.

A year ago, in February 2024, the Labour party pledged to introduce a Race Equality Bill, should it come to power. That promise was also included in its manifesto. Fast-forward, a year later, we’re expecting to see it come to the House – after it was mentioned in the King’s Speech, in July 2024.

The American economy is sputtering, and the solution won’t be found in Silicon Valley’s echo chambers. As we mark a historic Black History Month, it’s time to face a stark reality: our tech sector, a supposed engine of innovation, is leaving a vast pool of talent untapped.  

Nearly half (43%) of board roles and 35% of leadership roles in FTSE350 companies are now held by women, as the UK leads the way with a record number of female leaders, according to the latest FTSE Women Leaders Review 2025.

For startups and entrepreneurs, building a thriving business often means navigating financial constraints, talent acquisition, and operational efficiency, all while fostering an inclusive workplace.

New research from YuLife’s ‘Getting Workplace Wellbeing Right in 2025’ report highlights a gender gap in employee wellbeing, with financial uncertainty and job stability influencing career decisions in the coming year.

Addleshaw Goddard and HSBC have announced the return of the Ethnic Business Growth Programme, an initiative which seeks to empower and support UK businesses which are led by entrepreneurs from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

The latest Work Index from the future of work experts, Flexa, has analysed data from throughout 2024 to reveal the biggest work trends of the year, and those set to shape how we work in 2025.

Tara Askham of Bakersfield, Nottingham has been crowned one of the UK’s most impressive female entrepreneurs by Small Business Britain’s ‘f:Entrepreneur #IAlso100’ campaign.