Why Do not Girls Apply To Enterprise Awards? 

Regardless of file numbers of feminine entrepreneurs beginning a enterprise within the UK final 12 months, the variety of girls making use of to enterprise awards continues to be lower than half the variety of males.

Utilizing our distinctive information from the previous three years, we analysed purposes to the Startups 100 Index, the UK’s longest operating index of the highest 100 new companies within the UK.

Our outcomes paint a miserable image in the case of enterprise awards. Companies with a feminine founder make up, on common, 23.5% of enterprise award purposes. That’s lower than half the variety of male founder candidates (60%).

The figures recommend that confidence, not lack of alternative, is the most important barrier to feminine entrepreneur victory. Under, we look at the figures in additional element, in addition to asking what awards suppliers can do to assist shut the UK’s Ego Hole.

Extra girls are beginning companies within the UK – however far fewer are making use of to awards

The variety of women-led companies has risen exponentially over the previous few years. Partly that is because of the introduction of distant working, which has made beginning a enterprise extra accessible, in addition to cheaper, for budding entrepreneurs.

In line with new information from GoDaddy, the variety of women-led companies surged by 11% between 2022 and 2023.

However whereas the variety of women-led companies rises, business award shortlists proceed to be dominated by male firm homeowners.

Between 2021 and 2023, the quantity of girls making use of to be featured on the Startups 100 Index grew by simply 3%. Mixed with the GoDaddy information, this represents a progress disparity of 8%.

Amelia Gammon is founding father of bide planet. The corporate featured within the Startups 100 Index this 12 months and Gammon appeared on Dragon’s Den in January.

Commenting on the challenges of being a feminine entrepreneur, Gammon says: “One of many largest surprises I discover as an entrepreneur is that it’s nonetheless an impediment to be a girl. From private branding workshops to investor pitching, it’s nonetheless a male-dominated space.”

Analysis suggests the UK’s gender funding hole may very well be laying aside feminine candidates

One main deterrent for feminine entrepreneurs may very well be the funding funding hole. Earlier this 12 months, we discovered that male-owned startups obtain, on common, 6.2x as a lot funding as these based by girls.

It is a slight enchancment on the earlier 12 months, when male based firms obtained 7x extra funding than girls. Nonetheless, the information nonetheless factors to a stark gender inequality in the case of elevating early-stage finance.

Exterior funding, like enterprise capital or angel funding, is commonly seen as the most important marker of success in the case of launching a enterprise. Nonetheless, fewer offers being accomplished by girls may very well be a think about diminishing feminine entrepreneur confidence, making them much less satisfied of their potential to win an award.

Skilled suggests imposter syndrome behind womens’ enterprise awards phobia

Our evaluation concludes that lack of self-belief, not lack of alternative, seems to be the issue stopping girls from making use of to enterprise awards. Nonetheless, from our outcomes, their fears are unfounded.

In actual fact, regardless of simply 25% of women-led companies making use of to the Startups 100 Index this 12 months, a significantly greater proportion (33%) made it into the highest 100 due to their spectacular enterprise concepts and progress tales.

So why are feminine enterprise homeowners nonetheless reluctant to place themselves ahead for the trophy?

Final 12 months, Sahar Hashemi, co-founder of Purchase Girls Constructed, opined that the rationale feminine entrepreneurs wrestle to scale their firm is an absence of self perception. “In case you really feel the statistics are in opposition to you, nobody will ever attempt,” she informed Startups.

To encourage extra girls entrepreneurs to really feel the worry and do it anyway, loads of initiatives, together with  women-only awards and grants, have been established.

That features the Two Chicks Future Feminine Entrepreneur, a mentorship programme now in its second iteration. The scheme is designed to supply the following wave of entrepreneurs enterprise insights, mentoring and assist from profitable girls in enterprise.

Two Chicks co-founder Alla Ouvarova, explains: “Girls are behind males in the case of beginning and scaling companies, actually because they lack the arrogance and connections to take action, the identical applies with girls making use of for jobs and awards!

“When girls see others in an identical place beginning companies or receiving awards, it offers them the impetus to assume that they will do it too. That’s why our scheme and others prefer it are crucial.”

Reluctance to use to awards is self-perpetuating cycle for feminine enterprise homeowners

Mockingly, making use of to enterprise awards may very well be the easiest way for ladies entrepreneurs to spice up their credibility and confidence inside the market.

Vitamin model Nourished got here sixth within the Startups 100 Index 2023. Founder, Melissa Snover holds the file for having raised £2m of seed finance – greater than some other female-founded enterprise within the UK.

Since showing, the corporate has seen large success, and even gone on to win the inaugural King’s Award. Snover tells us: “Showing within the index has definitely validated our enterprise as a market main participant inside our business, in addition to elevating our model consciousness.

“We have been very grateful to have been listed amongst such spectacular friends, and hope we are able to proceed to be recognised by Startups 100.”

Startups 100 Index requires extra feminine candidates to shut the Ego Hole this 12 months

The Alison Rose Evaluate of Feminine Entrepreneurship 2023 exhibits that girls created a file variety of 151,603 new firms final 12 months.

Having highlighted the shortfall within the variety of girls making use of to business awards, we’re interesting to this flourishing UK feminine entrepreneur group to submit their companies to subsequent 12 months’s Startups 100 Index.

We’re making our judging course of extra inclusive than ever, to make sure we have a good time the enterprise homeowners with essentially the most progress potential – not simply the most important cheque.

To do that, we’ve shifted the main target from funding and finance. Each entry might be judged in keeping with 5 standards:

💪 Energy of idea (is your thought distinctive?)

💡 Innovation (how is your thought disrupting the market?)

🏆 Exterior validation (any vital achievements eg. notable companions or shoppers)

📏 Dimension of alternative (what ambitions do you’ve gotten when it comes to scale-up?)

💰 Finance (how a lot income have you ever generated from what quantity of funding?)

On common, our figures present that half of female-led firms are self-funded, in comparison with simply 32% of male organisations.

Realizing how costly it may be to launch a enterprise from scratch, the Startups 100 is fully free to enter.  We received’t cost a penny so that you can submit your utility, so that you don’t have to fret about breaking the financial institution to entry the wealth of advantages the index presents.

Are you a brand new enterprise proprietor with a daring and sensible thought? Apply now to the Startups 100 Index 2024 to be in with an opportunity of being named some of the thrilling new startups within the UK.