5 Organisations Supporting Female Entrepreneurs

Women-led businesses are attracting more investment, but access to finance remains uneven.

The Government’s 2026 Investing in Women Code report found that signatories are continuing to outperform the wider investment market. In 2025, 33% of venture-capital deals made by Code signatories involved a team with at least one female founder, compared with 25% across the wider market. Signatories also directed 32% of their total investment to those teams, compared with 15% in the wider market. Intelligent

All-female founding teams still received only 2% of total investment across the wider market, however, showing that there is considerable progress still to make.

For women starting or growing a business, these five organisations are providing practical support in 2026.

1. NatWest

NatWest continues to provide one of the UK’s most extensive support networks for women in business.

Its Women in Business programme gives entrepreneurs access to more than 1,000 specialist advisers, alongside networking, mentoring and business resources.

NatWest also provides support through its wider Accelerator network, giving business owners access to coaching, events and growth-focused resources.

For founders looking for practical advice, contacts and help preparing for growth or funding, it remains a useful place to start.

2. Innovate UK

Innovate UK is providing substantial financial and development support to women building innovative businesses.

In 2026 it announced its largest ever Women in Innovation cohort, supporting 100 female founders working across areas such as advanced manufacturing, digital technology and life sciences.

Of those:

• 61 founders receive grants of £75,000
• another 39 receive tailored business support
• all 100 receive 12 months of training, mentoring and networking opportunities

For women building innovation-led businesses with strong growth potential, this is one of the most substantial programmes currently available.

3. British Business Bank

The British Business Bank is working to improve access to finance for female founders while also increasing diversity within the investment market itself.

Its £400 million Investor Pathways Capital initiative is designed to help first-time and emerging fund managers overcome barriers to entering venture capital.

The Bank is also a founding member and partner of the Investing in Women Code, which now includes hundreds of organisations across banking, investment and finance.

That matters because improving outcomes for female founders is not only about increasing the amount of funding available. It is also about widening access to the people and institutions making investment decisions.

4. Santander

Santander’s Women Business Leaders programme focuses on mentoring, leadership and helping established female business owners scale.

The programme connects women running growing businesses with experienced mentors who can offer practical advice and a different perspective on the challenges of expansion.

Participants also become part of a wider network of female founders and business leaders.

For owners who already have a successful business and are thinking about the next stage of growth, access to relevant mentoring can be particularly valuable.

5. Buy Women Built

Buy Women Built takes a different approach by helping consumers identify and support brands created by women.

The movement now represents more than 2,800 women-built consumer brands, collectively generating more than £3.1 billion in revenue.

Its mark helps female-founded businesses make their ownership more visible to customers, while retailer partnerships and campaigns help improve awareness and demand.

It is a useful reminder that supporting female entrepreneurship is not only about finance. Visibility, customer demand and access to market matter too.

Is the funding gap closing?

There are encouraging signs, but female founders are still underrepresented in parts of the investment market.

The 2026 Investing in Women Code data suggests that organisations which deliberately examine how they fund entrepreneurs achieve different outcomes from the wider market.

The important point is that progress is being made, but access to capital, mentoring and networks still varies considerably.

For founders themselves, the practical message is simpler: there are more sources of funding, mentoring, networking and specialist support available than many business owners realise.

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