We’re proud to announce The Data City’s role in supporting EY’s latest report, Unleashing the SuperScalers, which highlights the achievements of women-led businesses in the UK.
This report celebrates 45 female founders who have scaled their companies to over £50 million in turnover, making a significant impact on the UK economy.
In addition to showcasing their success, the report also draws attention to the funding challenges that continue to hinder female entrepreneurs.
Unleashing the SuperScalers EY report
Produced in collaboration with EY, Julius Baer, The Data City, and Panintelligence, the SuperScalers report recognises women entrepreneurs who have grown their businesses to impressive scale.
It also identifies the “Ones to Watch,” a group of female-led companies with revenues between £20 million and £50 million, poised to become the next generation of SuperScalers.
Key Findings from the Report
The report brings to light several important insights:
- £7bn economic impact: The 45 women-led SuperScaler companies contributed £7 billion to the UK economy in 2022, employing over 55,000 people.
- Funding challenges: Female-founded businesses receive just 2p for every £1 invested, compared to 84p for male-led companies, highlighting the stark need for more equitable investment.
- Geographic and sector concentration: Most SuperScalers are based in London and the South East, with 44% operating in the consumer goods and services sector, underscoring regional and sector imbalances.
- Future SuperScalers: The report also identifies 242 “Ones to Watch,” companies that show strong potential to reach £50 million in turnover with the right support.
The Data City’s Role
The Data City played a crucial role in supporting EY’s SuperScalers report with three key contributions:
- Shortlisting companies and founders: Our data, which includes founder information for over 4 million companies alongside comprehensive financial records, served as the foundation for EY’s research. This enabled EY to identify not only the well-known names but also lesser-known female founders who have scaled their businesses to impressive heights.
- Advanced query capabilities: The Data City supported EY by advising on how best to query the data for precise results. A key query involved finding companies that are women-founded, have surpassed £50 million in turnover, and have achieved rapid growth. Our platform made this process quick and efficient, allowing EY to generate results in seconds.
- Benchmarking funding disparities: We helped EY benchmark women-founded businesses against their male counterparts. By using The Data City’s platform, EY could quickly assess the total funding raised by male-led versus female-led businesses, revealing stark investment gaps that continue to impact female entrepreneurs.
The ability to perform these complex data queries in seconds through The Data City’s platform allowed EY to efficiently compile a comprehensive and insightful report.
Impact and next steps
While the report showcases the incredible achievements of women-led businesses, it also highlights the barriers that continue to hold female entrepreneurs back.
To unlock the full potential of the next generation of SuperScalers, we need to address key challenges, including improving access to funding, reducing regional disparities and championing mentorship and role models in the industry.
Read the full report
To explore the findings and discover more about the UK’s leading female SuperScalers, you can access the full Unleashing the SuperScalers report here.
If you’re interested in finding out more about The Data City and our platform, sign up for a free trial today.
