A New Era for Female Entrepreneurship: from research to real-world action
Posted on Monday 5 October 2026
Research undertaken by the University of York and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) found that closing the gap in female entrepreneurship across the region could contribute up to £2.6 billion in GVA and support 165,000 jobs.
The research also highlighted clear and addressable barriers. Almost a third (31%) of women surveyed did not know where to access funding, 33% did not know how to find a mentor, and female-led businesses continue to receive a disproportionately small share of investment.
Now, the focus is firmly on action.
A 10 Point Plan for change
Building on the New Era research, the University of York has developed a 10 Point Plan to better support women business owners and founders across York and North Yorkshire.
The plan takes the findings of the research and translates them into practical actions, with a focus on improving access to finance and mentorship, building skills and networks, and creating a clearer, more connected business support system.
Importantly, the research is already influencing business support planning across the region, demonstrating how evidence can be translated into practical interventions that make a difference to entrepreneurs.
The plan has been developed with support from partners across the region, including the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Federation of Small Businesses, West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, NatWest Business and Barclays Innovation Hub powered by Eagle Labs.
Unlocking investment
One of the 10 Point Plan's key priorities is enabling greater access to investment.
The New Era work has highlighted the scale of the challenge, with just £62,000 of investment going to women in businesses in the region within the research period.
Addressing that gap means looking at both sides of the investment landscape: supporting more female entrepreneurs to become investment-ready, while also creating opportunities for more women to become investors themselves.
Activity is already helping to address this with dedicated founder support is being delivered through initiatives including NatWest's She Scales and Barclays' female founder programme.
Alongside this, the New Era for Female Investors in York and North Yorkshire, delivered through the Lifted Ventures Angel Academy, has supported women to develop the knowledge and confidence to become angel investors.
The programme reached full capacity, demonstrating a clear appetite in the region for further opportunities to develop the female investor community.
The challenge is not a lack of ambition or capability amongst female entrepreneurs. It is about creating a system in which women have equitable opportunities to access the investment, networks, knowledge and support they need to grow.
From support to the Dragons' Den
A recent example of what that support can help entrepreneurs achieve can be found in the journey of Belle Richardson, founder of SealStop.
The University of York-supported husband and wife team at Sealstop recently took their business onto the national stage, pitching to the Dragons on BBC One's Dragons' Den.
SealStop has developed a pioneering automatic shut-off valve designed to save water and eliminate unnecessary waste. Supported through the University of York's Phase One Incubator Programme, the business has grown from an innovative idea into a company with sales across six countries and 12 major awards to its name.
Although Belle didn't leave the Den with a deal, pitching their business to the Dragons represented another significant milestone and put Yorkshire innovation firmly in the national spotlight.
For Belle, access to the right support at an early stage made an important difference:
“Phase One has been incredible for me and for SealStop. The networking has been invaluable, and the support from the team has been exactly what I needed. Before launching SealStop I had no business experience at all. They guided us, they nurtured us, and they helped us grow into the company you see today.”
Stories like SealStop demonstrate what becomes possible when entrepreneurs can access the right support, networks and expertise – and why ensuring more women can access those opportunities is so important.
Help us turn the 10 Point Plan into action
We are now exploring opportunities to secure further funding and investment to build on this work and deliver the ambitions of the 10 Point Plan.
If you are an investor, funder, business or regional partner interested in supporting the next phase, we'd love to hear from you.
Get in touch: enterprise-works@york.ac.uk