The Lifted Project, an initiative to empower female founders across the UK, has announced the formation of its Leeds board.
The initiative, supported by Lloyds Bank and EY, has created regional women-founder growth boards in five cities across the UK in a bid to make high-growth entrepreneurship more accessible to women outside of London and the South East.
The Lifted Project is a data and ecosystem-led approach to increasing the flow of capital to regional, high-growth women founders. It is a five-year project aligned with the Investing in Women Code and Treasury.
It provides regional insights and tracks progress towards shared goals, powered by Leeds firms Panintelligence and Data City.
Lifted Ventures, an early-stage investment connector, is managing the rollout of the project.
“Leeds has a vibrant female founder ecosystem, but there’s room for significant growth. With The Lifted Project, we’re determined to bridge the funding gap and empower the next generation of women entrepreneurs,” said co-founder Jordan Dargue.
“This board represents the best of the West Yorkshire business community. Together, we’re confident in creating a supportive environment for female-led businesses, allowing them to scale their businesses and achieve their full potential with the funding and support needed.
“The Lifted Project Leeds board is poised to unlock a wave of innovation and economic growth, driven by the power of female leadership, and we’re excited to see what’s achieved.”
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The Lifted Project Leeds regional board is led by chair Zandra Moore and vice chair Natalie Boswell. It boasts a powerhouse line-up of regional leaders dedicated to bridging the gender finance gap and doubling the visibility of female-led businesses in the region.
This targeted approach comes on the heels of a national push for gender equality in investment, most recently by the £250m raised by the Investing in Women Taskforce.
The Lifted Project Leeds board aims to attract new investment funds into the region, increasing the percentage of capital invested in female-led companies in the region, and better equipping founders with the resources and networks they need to thrive.
The five-year project operates within the framework of the Rose Review and Treasury goals, aiming to establish the UK as the leading destination for gender-smart investment in Europe. Leeds, alongside Edinburgh, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Newcastle, is at the forefront of this national movement.
Joining the Leeds board are celebrated female founders Zandra Moore, founder of Panintelligence and Jane Slimming, founder of Zeal. Serial tech entrepreneur Alex Craven, founder of The Data City, also takes a seat on the board.
Alongside the founders are a number of leading funders from across the region, including Will Schafer, investment manager at Mercia, and Cat Smith, senior manager at the British Business Bank representing Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II; leading private equity providers Ana-Maria Garaba from LDC and Linda Nguyenova from BGF; and Natalie Boswell, regional development director at Lloyds Bank.
Business support will be provided by the West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, represented by James Mason; Yorkshire Asian Business Association Director Sharon Jandu; Katherine Megson of Bruntwood; and Karl Oxford of Lloyds Bank Black Business Advisory Committee.
Public, private and academic partnership members include Chelsea Boothroyd of Leeds University and Natalie Allen from Leeds Beckett University, alongside Mandy Ridyard, business advisor to West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin and Fiona Bolam, interim director for economy and skills at Leeds City Council.