Did you know, only 5% of funding rounds in Leeds go to female-led businesses and start-ups? And these rounds are typically smaller, with female-led companies only accounting for 1% of the total value of investment in the region.
Inclusive Growth Dashboard
These staggering new insights have come to light as part of a new collaborative project between The Data City and Panintelligence.
To raise awareness of this gender investment gap and to help drive change in the UK, we’re proud to announce that The Data City has joined forces with Panintelligence, a dynamic provider of embedded SaaS analytics in Leeds. Together, we are proud to introduce a groundbreaking project: the Inclusive Growth Dashboard, developed in collaboration with the government’s women-led high-growth enterprise taskforce.
The gender investment gap
Our journey began with a shared vision – a vision to tackle gender inequality in investment opportunities head-on. The Inclusive Growth Dashboard is our response to the pressing issue faced by women-led businesses in Leeds and beyond. Shockingly, only 5% of funding rounds in Leeds are currently directed toward female-led companies, a reality that demands immediate attention.
Powered by The Data City’s real-time economic growth data and crafted by the expertise of Panintelligence, the Inclusive Growth Dashboard showcases the investment landscape in Leeds. Displaying UK company information, ONS data, funding and investment metrics from Dealroom, growth indicators and open-source data, the dashboard delivers a comprehensive perspective. Its primary focus? To highlight the existing inequalities in investment opportunities and to guide the way toward a more equitable future.
Women-led high-growth enterprise taskforce
This initiative is bolstered by the women-led high-growth enterprise taskforce, formed in partnership with The Cabinet Office. This taskforce, chaired by Anne Boden MBE, founder and former CEO of Starling Bank, aims to influence and engage with high-growth investors and the wider business community, inspiring and raising the aspirations of the next generation of female entrepreneurs.
Zandra Moore, CEO and Co-founder of Panintelligence, is also part of the taskforce, alongside other female entrepreneurs and experienced business leaders – working to increase the number of female entrepreneurs by half by 2030 (equivalent to nearly 600,000 more female entrepreneurs).
Our Inclusive Growth Dashboard serves as a powerful tool, starting by showcasing inclusive growth data for the Leeds city region. However, its potential goes beyond Leeds, with a wider application to showcase and support women-led investment in cities and regions across the UK.
‘Closing the Gender Investment Gap’ webinar
To help raise awareness about the current investment gender gap and to examine the causes, and actionable steps we need to take, we are joining forces with Panintelligence to host a special webinar as part of this year’s Leeds Digital Festival on the 21st of September.
We’ll delve further into the data that underscores the gender investment gap and host a panel of industry experts to discuss how we bridge the gender investment gap and create a more inclusive and prosperous landscape for female entrepreneurs.
This partnership between The Data City and Panintelligence is a testament to the remarkable impact of data-driven initiatives. Together, we are weaving a narrative of change, equity, and boundless opportunity.
We’ll be sharing much more from our Inclusive Growth Dashboard in the following months, but if you’re interested in finding out more, please get in touch.
If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up to our up-coming Leeds Digital Festival webinar today for free.
