UK is one of the most exciting cities for startups to grow. With a vibrant startup ecosystem, it ranks second in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2023 and even gets the first position in Western Europe.
However, female entrepreneurs still face difficulties as women-led startups account for just 37 per cent, according to British Business Bank 2020 report. Fortunately, many government support programs and funding for female entrepreneurs emerged in recent years.
These initiatives include some female-centric networks and support organisations that help women in business like AccelerateHER, the British Association of Women Entrepreneurs (BAWE), and the Female Founders Forum.
In 2022, there were 151,603 female-led companies in the UK. According to an independent review by Alison Rose, CEO of NatWest Group, the figure has significantly doubled since 2018.
So, here is a list of thriving UK startups and scaleups led by women for you to watch out for in 2024.
Financielle
Founder(s): Laura Pomfret and Holly Holland
Siblings Laura Pomfret and Holly Holland co-founded Financielle in 2015. The Manchester-based startup is a financial wellness app designed for women that offers budgeting tools and educational resources on money management and investing.
They started the idea as a hobby by creating an Instagram account in 2018 before turning it into a full-fledged startup, leaving their jobs at a travel business.
Financelle won the Inspiring Women Award (Entrepreneur Category) in 2022. Currently, Financielle has evolved into a community with over 70,000 women who focus on financial well-being.
Bloss
Founder(s): Binky Felstead and Stephanie Desmond
Binky Felstead and Stephanie Desmond launched a parenting startup called Bloss in 2021. Bloss is a digital platform that enables businesses to provide parenting guidance to their employees, covering topics such as fertility, health, sleep training, nutrition, and finance.
Felstad and Desmon established the company to address parenting challenges. As mothers, they shared common issues, such as not having immediate access to reliable and verified professionals.
Desmond, with previous experience at Uber, and Felstead, a TV personality and influencer known for Made In Chelsea, have successfully secured £1 million in pre-seed funding with support from venture capital firm Antler.
Anfaani
Founder(s): Motunrayo Oyetunji
Anfaani is a wellness app designed for black women founded by Motenrayo Oyetunji in 2022. As black women are more likely to experience mental health challenges compared to white women, Anfaani aspires to aid the healing journey.
The app provides somatic therapy for black women, which is a psychotherapy that focuses on mind and body connection.
Users can also connect with culturally competent professionals and access personalised wellness resources to help them recover from their mental health disorders.
Oyetunji had five years of experience working with startups before launching Anfaani based on her experience as a Black woman in tech.
Thinker Design
Founder(s): Thushara Sabreen
Thushara Sabreen started Thinker Design in 2015 as a fashion technology that combines design aesthetics, science, technology and emotion. She holds a Master of Arts from the London College of Fashion (UAL) and extensive experience in product development.
Thinker Design aims to integrate technology that allows the body to gather information from sight and sound and haptic intelligence into various fashion products.
One of the products is Soule, a smart shoe that can detect stress levels and give personalised massage to help relax and improve well-being.
Used and Loved
Founder(s): Jessica Potter and Davey Brown
Jessica Potter co-founded Used and Loved, a platform for second-hand item shoppers, with his partner in 2021. The company was established in response to the fragmented nature of the second-hand online shopping experience.
Used and Loved serves as a single platform that enables users to discover various second-hand items from nine websites, including Vinted and eBay. The shopping search engine platform also offers suggestions and inspiration for purchase.
Used and Loved was recognised as the finalist for StartUp Awards 2023 for Online Retail StartUp of the Year.
Play Thru
Founder(s): Rose Tan
Rose Tan is the founder and CEO of Play Thru, an education platform that uses unique game features for lessons. Founded in 2021, Rose developed the idea to design her lessons with game-like elements from her teaching experience in a new tech skills class.
PlayThru allows teachers to transform their lesson content into a game format by uploading them on the platform to foster a more engaging learning experience for students.
Dermie.AI by Base Plus
Founder(s): Yasmin Greenaway
Yasmin Greenaway founded Base Plus in 2021 as an AI teledermatology app. Base Plus is a personalised skincare application that allows users to monitor and oversee the state of their skin by providing images and information, including skincare products, dietary habits, supplements, and stress levels.
Utilising AI, the app provides recommendations for users to enhance their skin conditions. The platform also offers access to in-app chat sessions with dermatologists to get personalised professional advice.
Before setting up the company, Greenaway worked with Barclays Investment Bank. Through Dermie.AI, Greenaway received various venture capital funds and investors like DeepMind.
Umii Technologies
Founder(s): Georgia Wheadon
Georgia Wheadon is the founder and CEO of Umii Technologies, a student social networking app that was founded in 2020.
Wheadon developed the Umii app based on her personal experience in university, where she struggled to make connections and even considered dropping out due to loneliness.
The Umii app serves as a social networking platform for students seeking companionship at university. The startup has established partnerships with academic institutions such as the University of Sunderland, the University of Kent, and the Cardiff Students’ Union.The app aims to support students and applicants, preventing them from feeling lonely or isolated. From Umii’s 2021 annual survey with university partners, 60 per cent of students feel that Umii helped them make friends.
Read the orginal article: https://siliconcanals.com/news/startups/women-8-uk-startup-and-scaleups/
