£10,000 pitch competition to support female student entrepreneurs launched

UEL has launched a major new partnership with early-stage venture capital investor Ankh Impact Ventures to drive diversity within entrepreneurship by creating and supporting more diverse and innovative female entrepreneurs.

The first product of the partnership is Female Founders Demo Day, a new £10,000 pitch competition aimed exclusively at female students of the Newham-based university, which has one of the most diverse student populations in the country. This competition is open to all female founders looking to bring innovative and impactful ideas to the forefront. Six finalists will be selected to participate in a VIP event in May, where they can pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. The winner will be awarded a £5,000 grant, and two runners-up will each receive £2,500 in grant money to help turn their ideas into reality. This is the most significant single sum the university has ever given its entrepreneur cohort.

Rebecca Moodie, UEL’s Head of Coaching, Mentoring, and Enterprise, said

We are thrilled to partner with Ankh Impact Ventures to launch this exciting competition to support female founders. At UEL, we believe that diversity drives innovation, and we are committed to supporting all of our students and graduates in their entrepreneurial endeavours,. This competition provides an excellent opportunity for female founders to showcase their ideas and take the first step towards realising their dreams. At the University of East London, we recognise that the careers of the future will increasingly involve students running their own businesses and ventures. That’s why we provide support for freelancers, entrepreneurs, startups, and consultants. Thanks to this new partnership and support from Ankh Impact Ventures, we can also make a significant investment in our students’ ideas.

Ankh Impact Ventures (AIV) is an impact-driven venture capital investment platform that looks to fund the rising stars of the future with a gender and racial equity lens. AIV has made investments in Germany, France, the UK, and the US, focusing on women-led businesses to leverage the proven strengths of female founders while also addressing the gender investment gap. In April 2022, AIV sponsored a similar pitch competition in partnership with California State University, Dominguez Hills to foster entrepreneurship and impact in students from diverse backgrounds.

Pierre Rolin, AIV Founder and CEO, said

We are proud to collaborate with UEL in launching this competition and supporting female founders. Diversity is the key to innovation, and creating an ecosystem that supports and encourages diverse entrepreneurs is essential. We are excited to see impactful ideas from this competition that will help us build a more sustainable future.

This competition is just the beginning of what is hoped will be a long and fruitful partnership between UEL and Ankh Impact Ventures to diversify the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Both partners will be following the winners' journeys to see where their ideas take them.

Additional information is available at www.ankhimpactvc.com