Imperial will lead the development of a new national network for women entrepreneurs, building on the success of its WE Innovate programme.
Five universities, including Imperial College London, will join the WE Innovate National network which will run programmes to support 150 women-led teams each year across the participating institutions.
The network will be based on the format of Imperial's flagship competition for women entrepreneurs, WE Innovate - a six-month programme for 25 teams led by students, recent alumni and Early Career Researchers.
The programme supports women founders through masterclasses, business coaching, 1-to-1 expert support, and peer mentoring, with the top five teams competing for a chance to win a share of a £30,000 prize fund.
Imperial is collaborating with four UK universities to build the WE Innovate National network. The first participating universities are:
- Imperial College London
- Queen's University Belfast
- Swansea University
- University of Glasgow
- Durham University
Professor Mary Ryan, Imperial's Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise), said: "We've seen through WE Innovate how targeted support can accelerate the development of women-led ventures – building confidence, strengthening capability, and enabling founders to translate their ideas into real-world impact. That's why we're so pleased to be launching this national network.
"Expanding opportunities for women in entrepreneurship is not only a matter of equity – it is essential to diversifying the innovation pipeline and driving inclusive, sustainable growth." Professor Mary Ryan Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise)
"By collaborating with leading universities across the UK, we're extending access to critical support structures – including mentoring, funding, and peer networks – that are proven to enhance early-stage innovation.
"Expanding opportunities for women in entrepreneurship is not only a matter of equity – it is essential to diversifying the innovation pipeline and driving inclusive, sustainable growth."
The universities will work together to support the development of WE Innovate National and to adapt the programme to the specific contexts and communities in each region.
Alongside each university's regional grand final, the WE Innovate National programme will also hold a national 'Demo Day' at a different university each year. This will see the winning teams from each university present to an audience of peers, investors, and industry representatives.
Commenting on WE Innovate National, Dame Alison Rose, who led the UK Government's Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, said: "The significant benefits that female entrepreneurs can contribute to the UK economy from the research conducted in the Rose Review underpins the high potential of female entrepreneurship.
"Providing the right support and access to networks and financing to drive growth at all stages of their journey can unlock and accelerate progress. The WE Innovate initiative is a great example of the collaboration and support that is so vital for developing successful entrepreneurs."
WE Network
In addition to the regional WE Innovate programmes, the participating universities will work to develop the WE Network – a national network that will create more opportunities for women founders to meet other startup teams, peer mentors, investors, and industry representatives from across the UK.
"The WE Innovate initiative is a great example of the collaboration and support that is so vital for developing successful entrepreneurs." Dame Alison Rose
The UK Government's Rose Review in 2019 found that women are far less likely to know other entrepreneurs or to have access to mentorship and support networks than men.
The WE Network will address this problem by offering support and connections to our founders following each programme by connecting and matching participants with WE Innovate alumni who can share their expertise and experience.
Supporting successful businesses
WE Innovate was first set up at Imperial in 2014 to address the challenges that women-led businesses often face at the earliest stages of their development, such as limited access to finance, networks, and business support.
Over the past ten years, the programme has supported over 500 women, 250 teams, and seen more than 60 startups incorporate at Imperial. These startups have collectively raised more than £40m for their ventures as a direct result of the programme.
- Untap Health (WE Innovate 2022) has gone on to raise more than £1m in funding to develop an early warning system for viruses. The startup's device can monitor health in real-time using data from sewage, helping to track viral outbreaks before symptoms have been identified. In 2024, founder Dr Claire Trant won an award at the prestigious GREAT GBx Gala in San Francisco.
- Fluus (WE Innovate 2017) has developed the world's first flushable period pads which are now available for customers to buy. The startup's founder Dr Olivia Ahn has won multiple awards for her work, including the London Mayor's Entrepreneur Competition in 2018 and the NatWest Chairman's Award in 2022.
- FA Bio (WE Innovate 2015) has raised more than £5m in funding to develop and commercialise its novel biofungicides and biofertilisers produced by naturally occurring soil microbes. The startup's work to make agriculture more productive and sustainable was noted by the UK Government in 2022, when CEO Angela de Manzanos was invited to attend a Downing Street Spring Showcase celebrating the best of British business.
