This plan sets out 10 practical, deliverable actions for the region’s business support organisations. It focuses on:
- Improving access to finance and mentorship
- Building confidence, skills and networks
- Creating a clear, joined-up support system
1. Make enterprise a career option for girls
Work with schools and colleges to ensure all girls are exposed to entrepreneurship through:
- Real founder encounters
- Practical enterprise education
- Clear pathways into support
Targets:
- Increase girls encouraged to consider entrepreneurship from 35% → 45% by 2029
- Reduce those who have “never considered it” from 63% → 50%
- Deliver a minimum enterprise offer in 80% of secondary schools by 2030
2. Close the investment gap
Strengthen the pipeline of women-led businesses accessing investment through:
- Equity readiness support
- Investor engagement programmes
- Development of local women angel investors
Targets:
- Increase share of investment into female-led firms from ~1% → 5% by 2029
- Deliver at least 3 female-led investment deals per year
- Support 5 active women angel investors
3. Build strong peer networks
Create a coordinated, region-wide network offer for women founders, combining:
- Open events (reach)
- Structured cohorts (deep support)
Targets:
- Reach 1,000 women annually
- Support 300 women annually in structured programmes
- Achieve 70% confidence improvement and 40% business action rate
4. Expand access to mentorship
Launch a structured mentoring programme matching women founders with experienced mentors.
Targets:
- Create 50 active mentoring pairs by 2029
- 60% of mentees achieve a business milestone (e.g. funding, hiring, launch)
- Reduce mentor access barrier from 33% → 20%
5. Make funding easier to access
Deliver practical finance training and simplify navigation of funding options.
Targets:
- Support 300 women annually through finance training
- 25% apply for funding, 10% secure it
- Reduce funding access barrier from 31% → 20%
6. Increase visibility of women founders
Scale regional campaigns showcasing women entrepreneurs and linking directly to support.
Targets:
- Reach 100,000 people annually by 2029
- Generate 1,000+ annual referrals into support programmes
7. Strengthen business skills
Deliver a tiered skills pathway covering planning, pricing and financial management.
Targets:
- 1,000 women attend skills sessions annually
- 400 complete structured training annually
- Increase confidence in planning and finance from 36% → 50%
8. Remove practical barriers
Improve access to flexible workspaces and provide targeted support for women facing logistical barriers.
Targets:
- Certify 10 family-friendly workspaces by 2029
- Increase number of self-employed women from 26,800 → 29,500 (+10%)
9. Introduce a regional charter
Launch a York & North Yorkshire Female Enterprise Charter to secure commitments from major employers and institutions.
Targets:
- 25 anchor organisations by 2028
- 250 SMEs by 2029
- Publish an annual progress report
10. Create a single “front door” for support
Develop a single, easy-to-use platform bringing together all support, funding and advice.
Targets:
- Launch by end of 2026
- Reach 5,000 active users by 2028
- Achieve 80% user satisfaction on ease of access