Bruntwood SciTech extends Female Founders initiative to Alderley Park
Manchester property group, Bruntwood SciTech, has expanded its Female Founders Incubator to Alderley Park in a move designed to help tackle the significant gender diversity gaps in the tech and wider entrepreneurship sectors.
Delivered in partnership with Lifted Ventures, a venture capital firm dedicated to supporting female-led start-ups across the UK, the initiative will provide essential resources, mentorship and networking opportunities.
The Female Founders Incubator at Alderley Park aims to support the next generation of female entrepreneurs by offering 30 early-stage female founders the opportunity to take advantage of more than £20,000-worth of specialist business support.
The comprehensive six-month programme includes tailored mentoring, access to a range of industry events, complementary workspace in Glasshouse, and extensive networking opportunities designed to foster transformative growth. Participants will also benefit from personalised support from industry leaders and experts, ensuring they have the tools and guidance necessary for success.
Alderley Park in Cheshire, owned and operated by Bruntwood SciTech provides the ideal location for the Incubator, it said. Based out of the Glasshouse, a vibrant workspace at the heart of Alderley Park, the programme is designed to be inclusive for any innovation-led, female-founded startup business.
Bruntwood SciTech’s Female Founders Incubator already has a proven track record of supporting female-led start-ups. In previous cohorts across Leeds and Manchester, founders secured more than £200,000 in capital investment, collectively won 15 awards, facilitated 90 new business introductions through the partnership network, and created numerous new job roles.
Additionally, several founders successfully completed funding rounds through the help of the Incubator, collectively securing up to £1m to drive their businesses forward.
The project is being funded by the Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, aligning with Bruntwood SciTech’s commitment to driving growth and knowledge sharing in the region. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund has committed £2.6bn to local investment by March 2025.
Andy Roberts, Head of Innovation for Bruntwood SciTech, said: “We are committed to creating a more level playing field for female entrepreneurs by providing them with the necessary resources, support and opportunities to succeed and scale. Our previous cohorts in Leeds and Manchester have demonstrated the profound impact of this initiative.
“By expanding the Female Founders Incubator to Alderley Park, which already hosts Bruntwood SciTech’s Life Science Accelerator programme, we aim to further enhance the vibrant innovation ecosystem here and drive growth across the region.”
Helen Oldham, co-founder of Lifted Ventures, said “Our contribution will combine our deep knowledge and expertise in investment readiness education for female founders with the opportunity to present to real investors.”
The launch of the Female Founders Incubator builds on a strong 2023 for R&D funding at Alderley Park, with figures released earlier in 2024 showing that life science businesses at the Park alone, had secured nearly £50m in new R&D-linked funding over the past year.
Applications for the Female Founders Incubator are open until September 19, 2024, with selected participants notified by September 24, 2024. The programme will commence with a launch event and induction on October 1, providing a platform for participants to meet the cohort and programme leads.
