A new community interest company has been launched to support female founders and women in tech.
Empower is the brainchild of Tech Returners founder Beckie Taylor and marketing consultant Natalie Asprey.
They will use it to provide events combining safe spaces alongside opportunities to learn, develop and connect – removing barriers to ensure opportunities are for everyone and encouraging vulnerability to inspire courage in others.
Empower launches with two impactful events and has opened applications for its free mentoring programme.
As founders of Reframe Women in Tech, Taylor and Asprey established an event that redefined accessible personal and professional development. Empower builds on this foundation, scaling the mission to reach more people and deepen its impact.
The Empower Women in Tech Conference in September will welcome more than 300 individuals for a day of community and collaboration. The event is a one-day conference consisting of keynote speeches, panels and break-out stages.
The day will also include action learning workshops and the opportunity for networking and connection. Headline sponsors for the event Kraken are joined by Sage, Pwc, Starling Bank and Flutter. Further sponsorship opportunities are available.
In May, Empower will host a female founders conference in Manchester which brings together 100 founders for one day – giving them opportunities to learn, develop and connect in a safe space.
Empower says women in business often feel excluded and have a lack of self-confidence to attend traditional tech events, especially against the backdrop of uncertainty surrounding the outlook for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Empower Women in Tech is not-for-profit, with anything made above its costs donated to a chosen charity. Tickets are priced accessibly at just £42 per person.
“Empower is on a mission to create an authentic community to connect, develop and provide opportunities for everyone,” said Taylor.
“I’ve always believed that personal and professional development should be accessible to all and Empower allows us to expand that mission on a brand new scale.”
Asprey added: “This is all about creating empowering experiences and spaces where people feel safe to embrace vulnerability, inspire others and show what’s possible and we’re incredibly excited about what we plan to deliver for our community.”