Businesses looking to scale their business have been given the chance to win £18,000 in business support as part of a competition that will see them pitch their business to a live audience in front of a panel of experienced female investors, including Holly Branson.
Women’s Institutions Competition
It is a cooperation between the freelance market Fiverr Non-profit Virgin StartupAny UK-based organisation can apply and four finalists will be paired with a leading female business mentor for six weeks and awarded £3,000 in Fiverr credit to build their business ideas. This year’s mentors include Julie Waddell, founder of Moroccan dipsElsie Rutherford, founder of the vegan skincare brand, Bye Bye Beauty; Raisa De Haas, Co-Founder of dual dutch language Premium Mixers and Sarah Welch, co-founder of sexual health brand, Hanks.
The final four will then pitch their business growth plan to an all-female judging panel in London on November 13, with the top winner receiving an additional £15,000 in Fiverr credit and a year’s free membership to the new Virgin StartUp digital community – an online home for entrepreneurs who want to connect with like-minded founders and access one-on-one mentorship, courses and more.
Commenting on the competition, Holly Branson, Head of Purpose and Vision at Virgin Group, said: “I am thrilled to be taking part in this year’s competition as a judge. Supporting female entrepreneurs is something we are really passionate about at Virgin Startup, and this competition is a fantastic opportunity for female entrepreneurs to network, access valuable mentorship and financial support so they can take their businesses to the next level. I can’t wait to meet the finalists and hear more about their journeys so far and their dreams of building successful businesses that will fuel the UK’s entrepreneurial economy for years to come!”
More than 700 organisations entered the competition last year, and Anna Moynihan, co-founder of a taskan online booking platform for female tradespeople including plumbers, electricians, heating and gas engineers. Anna founded the company in 2021 with her husband Paul after they witnessed first-hand the gender bias in the trades industry while working from their home.
Talk about how Women’s Institutions Competition “It’s been an exciting year for TaskHer. The competition prize has proven invaluable in growing our business, giving us the opportunity to do things like experiment with AI, redesign our website, improve our SEO game, improve our product user experience and create a library of content for our paid social media. Being able to hand off projects to freelancers with specialized skills has freed up our time significantly, meaning we can focus on other areas of our business. We are now raising seed funding for the next phase of growth for TaskHer and know that we will be able to rely on freelancers to support us in fundraising and growth.”
Gali Arnon, Chief Business Officer at Fiverr, commented: “Following the success of last year’s Female Founders Competition, we are delighted to once again partner with Virgin StartUp and couldn’t be prouder to help shine a light on some of the UK’s most innovative and forward-thinking female entrepreneurs. By giving them access to some of the best freelance talent available, this year’s winner will be able to take their pitch to the next level. I’m excited to hear more about the finalists’ journeys and what they plan to do with the financial support if they are successful.”
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