Female-led corporate finance boutique launched
A new female-led boutique corporate finance firm has been established with the aim of improving access to finance for women.
Female Founder Finance, based in Long Eaton, has been set up by entrepreneurs Roxanne Goodman and Martine Catton.
Goodman said: “As highlighted in The Rose Review, if women started and scaled business at the same rate as men, £250 billion could be added to the UK economy. We don’t think that’s just a nice idea — we believe it’s possible.”
Catton added: “We are creating an ecosystem to help female founders succeed.
“We have designed a platform to provide female entrepreneurs access to the same financial support as their male counterparts while removing unconscious gender bias in the process. Our aim at Female Founder Finance is provide female entrepreneurs access to the first wholly female circle of commercial and investment financiers in the UK. and moving that dial from 34% to 50%.”
Studies show that 35% of women seeking funding have encountered gender bias from financiers. Research also suggests that they often have to face more hurdles in the application process and are given fewer chances of finding financial support.
With a strategic end state of “When there is no longer a need for our services because gender bias is no more, our work here is complete,” Female Founder Finance says that its aim is to be an industry leader in providing resources for female founders and aspiring female entrepreneurs.
Founding funders include Lloyds Bank, which has committed to providing female entrepreneurs the opportunity to discuss their finance needs with likeminded women and Allica Bank which believes that supporting female-led SMEs is one way to help close the gender gap in entrepreneurship, which will have wide-ranging benefits for the UK economy.
Goodman said: “We are dedicated to assisting female founders with a comprehensive, bespoke service including access to female finance specialists, professional advisers and business support services. We are the only female specialist with an unrestricted funder panel, currently over 300.
“The interest and support from across the finance industry including those within the leasing and asset side, to be honest is overwhelming but also humbling. However, this only goes to confirm that this is absolutely the right time to turn the equality dial up and together we can make inequality in access to finance, a thing of the past.”
