A competition designed to showcase the West Midlands’ best women-led SMEs and start-up businesses is returning for a second year.
The Women Entrepreneurs Pitch competition is organised by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, NatWest, and the British Business Bank. Providing female entrepreneurs with an opportunity to pitch their businesses to a live panel of investors, this competition aims to highlight the region’s most promising women-led SMEs and start-ups, addressing some of their barriers to growth. The judging panel will select up to five businesses to present at the event.
The deadline for applications is September 30, with the pitch event scheduled to take place in Birmingham on November 13.
Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, commented on the initiative: “We, and our partners, know that there is a very big gender investment gap impacting the region’s businesses. We also know from our Business Commission West Midlands that there is a need to improve investor networks in the region. With the Women Entrepreneur’s Pitch Competition we’re doing just that – putting a spotlight on incredible female founders, offering a platform to engage leading investors actively looking to work with businesses in the region, and creating opportunities to network and community build around women’s entrepreneurship.”
Harinder Kunor, ecosystem manager at NatWest, expressed excitement about the competition: “We are incredibly excited about this year’s competition and are very much looking forward to hearing from some amazing women entrepreneurs from across the region. Helping women-led businesses to scale and succeed is critical to harnessing long-term, sustainable growth in the local and national economies, and we welcome the opportunity to work with leaders in our local ecosystem to support female-led businesses in securing investment.”
Tracy Sherratt, UK senior network senior manager for the West Midlands at British Business Bank, highlighted the additional barriers female entrepreneurs face when seeking investment: “We know that female entrepreneurs can face additional barriers when seeking investment in comparison to their male counterparts. The British Business Bank is keen to play its part in breaking down these barriers and supporting a platform for women to succeed in their sector.”
The Women Entrepreneurs Pitch competition aims to address the gender investment gap by providing a platform for women-led businesses to engage with investors and expand their networks, fostering sustainable growth.