As part of Birmingham Tech Week, and to establish ourselves as the go-to PR agency for progressive tech, TeamEV ran a fringe event called The Future is Female: Navigating the Funding Landscape Effectively. We were so grateful to everyone who committed their time and efforts to empowering female founders to put their best foot forward when navigating the funding landscape. Our message to all underestimated entrepreneurs going forwards?

You got this!

Whether you are a seasoned fund-raiser, a start-up founder, or just looking for that first spark of inspiration to turn your great idea into a great business, we’ve compiled everything you needed to know from the event. Our wonderful panel, chaired by EAST VILLAGE. founder and MD, Tara Attfield-Tomes, spent over an hour discussing the ins and outs of the current funding landscape, their experiences of fundraising for their businesses, and their top tips for founders just starting out on their funding journey. They also got their heads together to answer some of our audience questions. 

Here are a few of our key take-aways:

• The funding journey for women is hard. There’s no getting away from it, but focus on the success stories empowering you, rather than the statistics against you.

• The first step is understanding what you need and who is best to get it from. Whether this be VCs, angel investors, debt, or grants, do your research and find out what your options are.

• Investors can come from within your network! Look strategically at who you want on your business’s board and seek out people who bring something you need but can’t necessarily do yourself.

• The UK has the best incentives for angel investors in the world, and by a long way. You are already a step-ahead just by having your business here!

• Think BIG. Understand your market, and don’t undervalue your business or be under-ambitious. Investors will put their money where they see the greatest opportunity for return, so write your business plan and set your sights accordingly.

• We were challenged us to stop thinking of ‘under-represented founders’ and think of ‘under-estimated founders’. They are representative of our society; but are still hugely overlooked when it comes to funding. If we are to redress the balance, we need equity across the board.

Want to be in the loop for our next Female Founders event? Sign up here!

Head to our flickr to see all the imagery from the day.