EAST VILLAGE.

❌ Your time is up, Innovate UK. You've messed with the wrong women ❌ Innovate UK has broken its promise to female founders for the final time. We can't and won't stand for this any more. The ‘Women in Innovation Awards’ promised that 50 female-founded and female-led businesses would receive a £75k grant and package of support, from a funding pot of £4 million. 1,452 women applied for the award; but only 25 awards have been granted. Assuming each grant is £75,000, this is a total of £1,875,000. This leaves £2,125,000 unfunded at present 💸 📢 This isn't good enough. We're calling for change 📢 Let's Fund More Women is urging Innovate UK to: 💰 Commit to fully utilising the remaining funding ans awarding the 25 grants 🗣️ Engage in dialogue with us to address the issues raised and implement necessary reforms 🔎 Acknowledge the shortcomings and review the process 🚀 Launch a redesigned award program for 2025, with more funding committed Join the Let's Fund More Women movement. Share this post. Write to your MP. Put the pressure on. If you’re one of this year’s unsuccessful applicants, please complete our survey >>> https://lnkd.in/e_aSxTVT

How does a PR agency really support a founder to disrupt a whole industry? 🤔 Meet Mo Carrier, founder of luxury condom brand, MyBliss, who make male condoms designed by women for women. The first recipient of our Spark programme, as well as current participant in the FemTech Labs Accelerator, we’ve positioned Mo as a true challenger 💪 to the leading market brand. To help her make waves 🌊 we have: 📰 Secured killer listicle coverage as well as expert commentary in the likes of Cosmopolitan, Mens Health, Independent, Metro, and Express… with a combined reach of over 278.3 Million ⭐️ Identified product round-ups to best place MyBliss as a luxury brand within the market, securing their brand image and position. 🎤 Positioned her as an expert speaker at events, alongside other fantastic female founders and leader’s in women’s and sexual health, including @Sam Watson (Smile Makers) and @Valentina Milanova (Daye), as well as being a key early founder in the The 51% Club. 🥇 Solidified MyBliss’s credibility and luxury brand position through listicle rankings of top publications, with MyBliss earning 1st place in both Cosmopolitan’s and Men’s Health’s ranking of condoms ahead of the market leaders. Introduced her to our investor network, as well as supporting her on her accelerator journey with FemTech Lab who set businesses on the best trajectory for success 🚀 So, that's how PR – and the right people on the job 😎 – can help you disrupt what many would argue is an impenetrable industry, and grow your business whilst you do it! We have so loved ❤️ having Mo Carrier and MyBliss as our first recipient of our Spark program and we cannot WAIT to see her continue to succed!

Can a PR agency really support your investment strategy? Meet Mari-Carmen Sanchez-Morris, founder of FIT MAMA, who’s currently raising equity investment. In our first three months working together, we’ve supported Mari-Carmen to not just start conversations with potential investors, but really make them sit up and listen! We have: 📰 Secured weekly coverage in the likes of Marie Claire, Metro, Independent, Netmums, and GB News… with a combined reach of over 93 Million. 🎙 Identified podcasts to help her tell her founder story and the impact she’s making with FITMAMA, including Bounceback Mum Podcast and the Women’s Health and Happiness Podcast 🎤 Positioned her as an inspirational speaker at events, placing her on stage with other fantastic founders, including Valentina Milanova 🇺🇦 (Daye) Melissa Snover (Nourished), Lottie Whyte (MyoMaster), Kameese D. (Nylah’s Naturals), and Louise Macnab (JERMS) 🏆 Built FITMAMA’s credibility through media mentions and events, earning a Top 10 placement in TechRound’s Parent Tech Guide 🕸 Introduced her to our investor network, helping her start conversations, build relationships, and refine her investment strategy So, yes, PR – and an expert agency – can absolutely support your investment strategy. Whilst PR is never guaranteed: the right brief, a great working relationship, a founder with a compelling story, and building something together has the power to take you to the next level 🚀 We cannot wait to continue supporting Mari-Carmen as she secures investment, and builds out the FIT MAMA app!

We love a 51% club Friday! 😍 We were so privileged to welcome a wonderful room of 51percentclub members, female founders and experts in women’s health to The Compound this morning. Over a next-level brunch 🥐 from Pause Bakery we came together to discuss all things women’s health 👩🏽⚕️ with very special guests Daye ❤️ We kicked off with a fireside chat with Daye’s inspirational founder Valentina Milanova 🇺🇦 into her fund raising and investment 💰 experiences as a female founder in the gynae health space, as well as her motivations to tackle 💪 issues in women’s health. This was then followed by a power-house 🚀 panel with Valentina and Shel from Daye, Azra Rashid from the NHS, as well as two of our wonderful clients, Maricarmenfitness ❤️ and MyBliss all about what can be done to close the gender health gap and reclaim healthcare for women 👩🏽⚕️ Thank you so much to all of our wonderful guests and here’s to the future of women’s health- we’re so glad there are so many amazing women pushing it forwards 🚀

🚨🚨🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨🚨🚨 ONE TO WIN: £1 MILLION PLEDGED TO WINNING PITCH FROM WEST MIDLANDS START-UP A ground-breaking £1 million pitch competition is launching in the West Midlands, solidifying the region’s position as a powerhouse in the tech sector. Aimed at uncovering the region’s most promising start-up business, One to Win is spearheaded by The Rigby Group, SCC, Haatch, and the West Midlands Co-Invest Fund (delivered through Midven, part of Future Planet Capital), and boasts the largest single prize for any pitch competition in the UK. The brand-new One to Win competition was launched within London Tech Week by TechWM and a cohort of leading stakeholders, at the Mathys and Squire LLP offices in The Shard, London. Applications open on the 1st of July: shortlisted candidates will have the opportunity to pitch for the prize during Birmingham Tech Week on Wednesday 23 October with the winner announced two days later on Friday 25October. Powered by TechWM, One to Win will showcase the region’s vibrant and thriving tech sector on the national stage. The unprecedented £1 million cash injection prize money will be awarded to a West Midlands business that’s demonstrating game-changing innovation and is on track for further impressive growth. For the full story, hit the link below: https://lnkd.in/eJw6pUts

That’s a wrap on day two of @ldntechweek 🤖🚀 It’s been another great day of talks and panel events and the week is already flying by! Some of TeamEV.’s key tech-always from today: 🚀 Growing an amazing tech start-up (or any business for that matter!) is all about the people you have around you and cheering you on. Find your tribe for support, mentorship, and inspiration because being a founder (especially a female one!) is going to be hard, and asking for help is easier when you know exactly who’s got your back. 🚀 Storytelling and narrative is a secret weapon for startups - even if your tech is super complicated or niche, if you can find the human element in it’s story that explains the need for it, and how it’s going to change lives, you’ll be able to get buy-in from funders and customers. 🚀Gen Z are the key to circular economies and sustainable practices as the most engaged audience in the climate crisis and as the group who care most about consumption. Get them on board your business! 🚀 Feeling like you don’t fit at the table? Or it’s hard to get a seat at the table at all? Get up, leave the room, and go find your own table and amazing people to join you at it. Sometimes, fighting the system isn’t worth it, and you’re better off starting fresh and building the thing you want to see or be a part of. We are loving our time in London amongst so many amazing businesses and movers and shakers in the tech industry. Bring on Day Three! 😍

And just like that, day one of @ldntechweek is over! We had a great day attending panel talks, keynote speeches, and the final of @technationhq Rising Stars 🌟 Pitch Competition. Our key tech-aways 🤖 from today: 🚀 As we’re living longer, the time to invest is now. We’re becoming more reliant on pension funds and they won’t last forever, so you have to have a long-term plan for yourself. Taking action and investing when you’re younger is going to get you more return when you’re older. 🚀When investing, concentrate on the diversification of your portfolio. Invest like the 1% and spread your risk. 🚀Currently, raising money for a sub-par football ⚽️ club is easier than raising money for women’s health 🫣 🚀 People buy people - they have to trust you, like you, believe in you and then they’ll invest. 🚀The cheque 💰 is just the beginning. The effort into the relationship that follows is the most valuable thing. Remember the five T’s: Team, Tech, Traction, Total Addressable Market, Timing. We’ll be back for Day Two tomorrow - see you there! 🤩

We are so excited 🤩 for this special brand brunch event coming up in just a week from our sister female founder community THE 51PERCENT CLUB in partnership with Daye. To celebrate the launch of Daye's new diagnostic tampon, which can detect the HPV virus, we're inviting you to a morning dedicated to all things women's health. We're so excited to be welcoming inspirational founder Valentina Milanova 🇺🇦 to share her story, as well as a panel of women's health experts 👩🏽⚕️ ready to help close the health gap. Join us for these fantastic female talks and networking over a tasty brunch 🥐, in one of Birmingham's trendiest venues... 🤫 Not a member of THE 51PERCENT CLUB yet? No problem! We're offering this event out to our network as well as members so that you can come and experience what it's all about, see why you'll want to be part of the majority, and #jointheclub 😎 Head to the link below to sign up now, and we'll see you there! ❤️ https://lnkd.in/e8xfiQef

Fantastic feature for our wonderful client Mari-Carmen Sanchez-Morris in this article from TechRound on the rise of 'Mum-preneurs' and their estimated £9.5bn injection into the UK economy by 2025. But this increase is about so much more than women in business, it’s about women who are re-defining what a work/life balance looks like, especially when it comes to raising families as well as businesses. Mari-Carmen Sanchez-Morris is the perfect example of one woman making an impact at home as well as in business ❤️

Today we've launched something BIG. The 51percent Club is the community, sisterhood, and movement that this city's female founders have been waiting for. A group brought together to find strength in numbers, success in business, and to unleash the power of the majority. If you #jointheclub, you gain access to: 💫 Regular networking events 💫 Expert workshops and masterclasses 💫 Our dedicated Slack community 💫 Founder profiling 💫 Exclusive business opportunities 💫 A chance to change the landscape for female founders in the region So what are you waiting for? Sign up now! https://the51percent.club/