Women Backing Women National Conference 2023
Empowering more women to invest in female founders across the UK
What is the Women Backing Women National Conference?
This conference was organised by UKBAA in partnership with the Women Angel Investment Task Force and the Women Backing Women campaign and was kindly hosted by Nat West.
- The Women Backing Women campaign was set up in January 2022 with a mission to identify, educate and empower many more women to use their experience and spare financial capacity to invest in women founders and support their journey from start-up to successful scale-up.
- The event offered an opportunity to share experience and insights on what has been achieved so far – and what more can be done in the year ahead to move the needle from the existing 14% women angels to at least 30% of women angel investors in the total Business Angel population here in the UK.
Those attending heard about:
- Women Angel investors who are taking leadership across the regions and devolved nations to back women founders, building and growing angel investment syndicates and establishing thriving female focused investment ecosystems.
- The role and opportunities for Women Angels to back female founders who are creating ground-breaking solutions to pressing social and global issues – and we will hear how women innovators in science, research and technology are benefitting from access to women investors.
- Insights on policy developments, research and market developments , hearing from Government, industry experts and investors who will look at latest data and trends that are impacting the landscape for women investment.
- Finally, there was an audience debate, drawing on the views and ideas of those attending on what further actions we need to take and what further measures and changes are needed to enable women angel investing to further grow and thrive across the UK in 2024.
Read the full recap of the Women Backing Women National Conference 2023.
Agenda
14.00: Welcome:
James Holian, MD, Business Banking and International Retail, Nat West
14.10: Setting the Scene for the Women Backing Women conference:
Jenny Tooth OBE, Executive Chair UKBAA
14.15: Why Women Backing Women Matters: what have we learnt so far?
Key players from the Women Angel Investment Task Force will share their insights:
- Debbie Wosskow, Serial Entrepreneur and Angel Investor
- Deepali Nangia, Partner SpeedInvest VC and Angel of the Year 2021-22
14:45: Building effective Women-focused Angel Ecosystems: what works and what more is needed? : Women Angel Leaders share their insights and experience from across the regions and devolved nations :
- Marla Shapiro, Founder HERmesa
- Jill Jones, Women Angels of Wales
- Kristina Pereckaite, Founder, SouthEast Angels
- Gillian Fleming, Co-Founder, MINT Ventures, Scotland
- Amy Newton, Inclusive Angels
Moderator, Helen Oldham, LIFTED Ventures
15.30: Fireside Chat: Mary McKenna, Angel of the Year 203-24, Co-Founder Awaken Hub in conversation with Yvonne Greeves, Director of Women in Business, NatWest Group
Angels, Northern Ireland
15.40: Comfort break
16.00: Key Note Speech : Tulip Siddiq MP, Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury
16.15: The role and impact of Women Angels backing female founders in science, technology and innovation
Women Angels share their experiences and discuss the need for more women to invest in women in research and innovation.
- Dr Pamela Walker, Thena Capital
- Jessica Rasmussen, Co-Founder, Two Magnolias
- Rhona Campbell, Investing Women Angels Scotland
- Irene Graham OBE, ScaleUp Institute
Moderator: Pam Garside, Chair, Cambridge Angels
16.55: What policy measures and market trends are impacting the growth of women investment – and what further changes will improve the landscape for women angel investing?
Industry experts and decision-makers will provide latest data and insights
- Natalie Gasson-McKinley Snr Manager, Policy and Strategy, British Business Bank
- Dr Emily Nott, Head of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Programmes, Innovate UK
- Gillian Roche Saunders, Co-Founder Adempi Associates, EISA Board Member
Moderator, Irene Graham, CEO Scale- Up Institute
17:30: Moving the Needle toward 30% : Next Steps for Women Backing Women and what can we all do together :
Audience debate with Table facilitators
18.10: Summing Up and Thanks
18.15 Conference Close: Networking and Refreshments
19.30: Depart
Speakers
Natalie Gasson-McKinley MBE
Senior Manager, Policy and Strategy at the British Business Bank
