Female-founded companies account for under 3% of venture capital (VC) funding deals involving AI startups, according to new analysis by The Alan Turing Institute’s Women in Data Science and AI team.

As part of Tech WM’s highly anticipated Birmingham Tech Week line-up, two new sessions have been revealed to help more female business founders access much-needed capital. Hosted by HSBC UK and lifestyle tech PR agency, EAST VILLAGE., the events will help women to navigate the funding landscape.

The 2023 #ThisIsBlackGenZ report, the largest set of research into the experiences of Black Gen Z in Britain, has been unveiled for a second year.

In a report published over the summer, the Treasury Committee recommended the government take swift action to promote diversity in the UK’s venture capital industry. With the proposed policies directly targeted at driving investment towards female and ethnic minority founders, as well as businesses outside of London, the report forms part of a growing momentum to expand access to venture capital (VC) in the UK.

On Thursday 9th November, 2023, Playfair and 150 of the world’s leading venture capital funds, including Atomico, Creandum, Headline, MMC, Northzone, Octopus, Partech, Plug & Play, SpeedInvest, and TriplePoint will be holding remote office hours for more than 300 female founders from across Europe.

The Amplify Venture programme has received £1.4 million from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This marks the launch of a free transformative two-year programme for ambitious and underserved founders seeking to scale and expand their businesses.

Ineffective diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies are risking businesses’ ability to retain diverse tech employees, with 64% of UK businesses reporting that they have lost employees from diverse backgrounds.

73% of businesses in the UK do not have a measurement framework for diversity and inclusion, new research has found.

A Wolverhampton-based business duo has announced the launch of an interactive programme for aspiring businesspeople across the West Midlands.

Ineffective diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies are risking businesses’ ability to retain diverse tech employees, with 64% of UK businesses reporting that they have lost employees from diverse backgrounds.

The UK tech sector has seen the number of female workers dip between the first and second quarters of 2023, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

The annual everywoman in Technology Awards, celebrating the most inspirational women working in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), are open for nominations for 2024 and have announced their new title partner, Bupa Global & UK.

Global hygiene and health company Essity has partnered with FemTech Lab to support startups in the area of women’s health, hygiene and wellbeing this Autumn 2023. 

It is vital to champion founders from underrepresented groups, especially in the tech startup ecosystem, as traditionally the tech space is majority made up of white males. According to “The Business of Tech Q4 2022 Diversity Report”, created by Dave Sobel, which examined diversity development in tech leadership, found that 88.92% of the tech industry’s leaders were white men.

Back in 2018, Fibank (First Investment Bank) launched its special Smart Lady programme in support of Bulgarian businesswomen.

Amelia Peckham, the CEO and Co-Founder of Cool Crutches & Walking Sticks personally knows the importance of genuine diversity and inclusion policies in the workplace. Having worked in a selection of startups throughout her career, she believes that they do in fact benefit from being smaller companies that can act faster. Decisions can be made quicker and red tape is minimal so it’s easy to pivot and adjust as things progress.

Digital Catapult, the UK authority on advanced digital technology, and Sony Music UK, have announced a cohort of ten pioneering digital-first startups, to participate in the inaugural FutureScope Black Founders Programme. The programme will  support Black British entrepreneurs in the digital entertainment space, and encourage the successful commercialisation of their innovative new solutions. 

A groundbreaking research study conducted by campaign group Access2Funding, in partnership with leading organisations, has exposed the shocking disparities faced by disabled and neurodiverse entrepreneurs in the UK and the knock-on impact to the UK economy.

Resource Solutions, provider of workforce and advisory solutions, has announced a community-focused partnership with InnovateHer, a values-led social enterprise dedicated to addressing the gender imbalance in the tech sector.

The Treasury Committee is challenging the lack of diversity in the venture capital industry as only 2% of funding goes toward female founded and ethnic minority businesses, according to new report.