Prof. Susan Shelmerdine’s Post

Are you a #FemaleFounder in DACH? Female Founders would like to hear about your fundraising journey. They are compiling year two of their research report, 'Navigating the Fundraising Landscape' and looking for your input. Details below 👇 🔗 Link to the survey: https://lnkd.in/eStiDA49

📣 Calling all women founders in DACH! In 2023, Female Founders collaborated with Wirtschaftsagentur Wien to release a report on the fundraising landscape in the DACH-region, shedding light on the fundraising experiences of women entrepreneurs. Last year, the question received most frequently after publishing the report was: "How does this compare to data from the year before?" While we didn't have that data then, there's good news! We'll publish another report this year, enabling a direct comparison between 2023 and 2024 data. However to do this, your input is crucial! Share your fundraising journey from 2024 by participating in our survey: 👉 https://lnkd.in/dEzi_MSh

Unlock the Power with the VCBW Ecosystem Membership! The VCBW Ecosystem Membership is more than just a network; it’s a vibrant community designed to empower, enrich, and elevate entrepreneurial women like you. Whether you're sculpting your future, building a side hustle, stepping out of the corporate shadow, or scaling an established enterprise, we're here to support every step of your journey. Here's What You'll Get with Your Membership: - Exclusive Access to Virtual Networking Events: Connect, collaborate, and share your story in a supportive online environment that celebrates women in business. - Complimentary Entry to Coffee & Connection: Dive into deep connections and cultivate genuine relationships that go beyond business cards at our in-person gatherings. - Monthly Business Breakthrough Sessions: Tackle your challenges with actionable insights from peers who understand your journey and can offer real-time solutions and support. - Value-Driven Discounts: Enjoy exclusive discounts on speaking opportunities, member highlights, and more, all designed to spotlight your business and expertise. - Member Portal Access: Dive into resources, replays, and collaborative opportunities at your fingertips. - Privileges in the VCBW Facebook Community: Share your events, updates, and successes with auto-posting privileges that keep you visible and engaged. All This for Just $25/Month (First Month Free) — Price Locked, Freedom to Cancel Anytime! Get access to a dedicated network of like-minded women, ready to cheer you on, share their knowledge, and help you navigate your entrepreneurial journey. Let's grow together, breaking barriers and building dreams.

Our members believe so strongly in what March Women - Women in M&A is building, they have voluntarily funded membership fees to enable other women to join. This generosity inspired the formal launch of our Catalyst Fund earlier this year. Together with those member contributions, 10% of every corporate membership fee goes towards funding full annual memberships. We recently ran the first application process for a Catalyst membership and would like to thank all of the applicants for their time and effort in making their submissions, and their insightful comments - the following is a selection from a number of our applicants: ✭ "I experienced first-hand ...how diverse and encouraging the women are from March Women." ✭"Due to my background, I do not have a personal network of solicitors/other experts/potential clients. In light of this, I can sometimes feel out of place at networking events which impacts my confidence and how I come across to others." ✭ "The group’s emphasis on collaborating and supporting each other, fits perfectly with my ambitions of my career." ✭"...whilst I’m ambitious and hard working, I have been described as too modest and I often don’t feel comfortable advocating for myself. Being a member of a community such as March Women appears to be a great opportunity to overcome that." ✭ "I noticed that everyone genuinely wanted to lift each other up." ✭"I have attended a March Women event and due to the focused/ smaller group of individuals I found it much easier to talk to people and to feel part of a group." ✭ "I had a great time when I joined the March Women's event and in addition to obtaining valuable advice for my professional career, I also had a great laugh with everyone!" It was a difficult task deciding who to award the first Catalyst membership to... so we awarded two! So it's a warm welcome to our newest members Charlotte Lang and Lowri Roberts - we very much look forward to you being part of the March Women community. _______________________ The Catalyst Membership opens twice a year, with applications for the next cohort launching in December 2024 for membership commencing 1st February 2025. This cohort was specifically for junior M&A lawyers (at the request of the sponsor) but the next one will a reflection of our broader M&A community.

📣 Were you one of the unsuccessful applicants for this year’s Innovate UK’s ‘Women in Innovation’ awards? We need you! We are so pleased that Innovate UK has reversed its decision to only award half of the intended ‘Women in Innovation’ recipients, but - as we all know - this is only the start. Let’s Fund More Women is on a mission to make sure that the lessons are learned and that these mistakes can’t happen again 🙅 I'm helping with data analysis and creating a plan of action for IUK to consider in subsequent work with women in business innovation. We’re looking to hear from all those who were unsuccessful in the 2024 ‘Women in Innovation’ application process about their experience. We’re gathering data and insights to help inform grant-giving agencies - including Innovate UK - about how they can better support female founders in the future and ensure that their procedures are truly supportive, encouraging and fair for women. We’ve already had hundreds of you share your thoughts; but there are 1,427 voices that deserve to have their say and we want to capture them all. Fill out Let’s Fund More Women’s survey today 👉 https://lnkd.in/dyCNDf8t 👈 It's an anonymous survey, and it only takes three minutes. Our hope is the findings will outlast us all as we hold these agencies to account 👊 #LetsFundMoreWomen

Ahhh. Today marks the final TWO WEEKS of ticket sales before our big day! (ticket sales close Wednesday 5/8) On Friday May 10th at Music Hall A few FAQ if I dare: 1. Are you sold out? No, we’ve got about 100 seats left, less than 25 VIP seats. Ticket sales close in TWO WEEKS. We expect to sell out and have 650 gathered! 2. Who’s speaking? We will have over 35 women on stage (with a few surprises 😭) including our keynote Rachel Cargle 3. What’s the theme? Community, connection, conversation. Worth. Strength & resilience, living happily. There’s no real theme but these words feel right 4. What is it? It’s a one day women’s empowerment summit whose mission is to create a safe space for women to be seen, heard & loved in. 5. Who’s it for? For me it’s for women, all women. And we see it on our stage & audience. We will have 42% diversity in our speakers. Audience will be filled the same, corporate, entrepreneurs, stay at home moms, students, retirees. It’s special. Power to Pursue, I am proud of you. The impact you’ve had in such a short time, we are just getting started. Let’s go! Snag your seat: https://lnkd.in/g8xVC5zZ

Decision reversed 💥💥 2 hours after we all used our voices together. Amazing what a group of really angry women can achieve when they work together ❤️ #showherthemoney ❌ Your time is up, Innovate UK. You've messed with the wrong women ❌ @InnovateUK has broken its promise to female founders for the final time. We can't and won't stand for this any more. The ‘Women in Innovation Awards’ promised that 50 female-founded and female-led businesses would receive a £75k grant and package of support, from a funding pot of £4 million. 1,452 women applied for the award; but only 25 awards have been granted. Assuming each grant is £75,000, this is a total of £1,875,000. This leaves £2,125,000 unfunded at present 💸 📢 This isn't good enough. We're calling for change 📢 Let's Fund More Women is urging Innovate UK to: 💰 Commit to fully utilising the remaining funding and awarding the 25 grants 🗣️ Engage in dialogue with us to address the issues raised and implement necessary reforms 🔎 Acknowledge the shortcomings and review the process  🚀 Launch a redesigned award program for 2025, with more funding committed Join the Let's Fund More Women movement. Share this post. Write to your MP. Put the pressure on. If you’re one of this year’s unsuccessful applicants, please complete our survey >>> https://lnkd.in/e6JEE5KF

Hi everyone, This is conversation about BCCT 2024 in Focus: Gareth Davies & Phinnipha (Nina) Suriyong(Ep3)as follows: ❤️Phinnipha: So I hope that my learning can contribute in the future. ❤️Gareth: And it has already. So for the remaining year and a half-ish, what do you want to achieve as a Board Director? ❤️Phinnipha: Firstly, it will be my initiation to complete as the working group as well So I hope that the board can blend in the projects that we have in both Women in Business and DEI(Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)working groups. And we still have some goals that we still cannot achieve. And we on the learning curve and try to achieve, which is the advocacy work for the Women in Business. So we hope that we can contribute in terms of advocacy. So if our members have any things for me or the working group to contribute, please feel free to reach out to me. ❤️Gareth: That's cool. And members should reach out to Nina. Final question. As a fellow SME and someone who's been involved in multiple working groups before joining the Board, what advice would you give to any British Chamber members who are looking to set up a working group, join a working group, lead a working group, or indeed join the Board? ❤️Phinnipha: I see from my experience myself So when I joined the Chamber of Commerce, just joining the events, I don't see much activities or business return in the beginning, right? But after I've been very active in the working group and supportive the community, I see that my network expand extensively as well as I know more people and it's helped my business to grow. And I think if you join the British Chamber of Commerce, the level of activities will help you to expand your business as well as to help you develop your business further. ❤️Gareth: Thank you very much for joining us today, and thanks for your input and look forward to seeing you at the next Board meeting. Cheers, Nina. ❤️Phinnipha: Thank you for having me. Thanks.

We’ve helped women and organizations successfully secure over half a million dollars in grant funding! Empowering women in business is what we do at LYNN SQUARED® Consulting, and we’re thrilled to share that our clients have been awarded over $500,000 through strategic grant support. For women in business looking to secure grant funding, here are some key strategies: ▪️Define Your Mission Clearly: Funders want to see a well-defined purpose that aligns with their values. Be clear about the impact your business will make. ▪️Research & Align with Grant Priorities: Take the time to understand the mission and goals of each grant provider. Tailoring your application to match their priorities can significantly boost your chances. ▪️Showcase Your Community Impact: Many grants prioritize social impact. Share how your business supports communities, women, or underserved groups. ▪️Prepare Strong Financials & Projections: Confidence in your numbers shows funders you’re ready for growth and have a clear vision of how to use the funds. ▪️Seek Support When Needed: Grant applications can be complex. Partnering with experts, like LYNN SQUARED®, can help refine your message and increase your chances of success. What challenges do you face in securing funding for your business? Let’s connect and explore ways to make your vision a reality! You can trust us to Mind Your Business💼 Autumn Fair, MBA Chief Faith® Officer LYNN SQUARED® Consulting www.LYNN-SQUARED.com #WomenInBusiness #GrantFunding #BusinessStrategy #WomenEmpowerment #LYNNSQUARED

In the past five years, women-owned small businesses have surged, encouraging more underrepresented groups to pursue their entrepreneurial dream. In 2019, women made up 28% of new business owners, and by 2021, that number nearly doubled to 49%. Today, more than 14 million women are building their dreams—and the momentum continues! Here are some of our favorite ways we can all support women in business and champion their success: 1. Broadcast Your Wins – Be proud of your achievements and share them openly. When women tell their stories, they inspire the next generation of leaders. 2. Mentor or Volunteer – Be a role model! By being more visible, whether through mentoring or volunteering, you can encourage young women to pursue their own business dreams. 3. Network with Women Entrepreneurs – Building connections with other women in business is one of the best ways to create support systems and grow together. 4. Support Women-Owned Businesses on Social Media – Even if you don’t own a business, you can still help by promoting female entrepreneurs on social media. Share their stories, products, and services to help spread the word and show your support! Cheers to all these amazing women building their dreams, one business at a time!