For too long, the startup world has felt like a room where the doors are just that bit heavier for women to push open. The data confirms it: only 34% of UK entrepreneurs are women, and in 2022 just 3% of venture capital funding went to women-led startups. These are numbers that should make us all pause.
Rather than accept the status quo, Swansea University is working to change it.
Through a partnership with Imperial College London and four other UK universities, Swansea is now part of the WE Innovate National Network, the UK’s first university-led consortium dedicated to supporting women student and graduate founders and expanding pathways to success.
The network has already backed more than 500 ventures, helping them raise over £80 million. Now, that momentum is here in Wales.
From “What If” to “Watch Me”
WE Innovate is more than a workshop series, it’s a structured launchpad turning ideas into ventures. The programme is built around three phases:
This reflects Swansea’s identity as a university founded by industry, for industry, championing innovation and real-world impact. Our women-led cohort is already tackling real challenges, from sustainability and medtech to digital healthcare and AI. These are ventures with the potential to shape industries, improve lives, and strengthen the Welsh innovation ecosystem. Swansea is ready to help lead this next generation of innovation and we invite you to be part of it.
The Alumni Effect: Why Your Support Matters
Swansea alumna Anne Boden, founder of Starling Bank, exemplifies this impact. Beyond financial support, she champions female founders and has chaired the UK Government’s Taskforce for Women-Led High-Tech and High-Growth Enterprises.
Her involvement highlights a powerful truth: Swansea alumni don’t just succeed, they lift others with them.
WE Innovate is powered by community mentors, connectors, partners, and advocates. Our alumni network can play a vital role in shaping these founders’ journeys through expertise, networks, investment, or amplification.
For those looking to deploy capital, insight, and experience where it matters most, this is an opportunity to work alongside Swansea’s Student Enterprise team at a pivotal stage, supporting ventures tackling global challenges. To explore this further, contact enterprise@swansea.ac.uk
We are building a Wales and a world, where brilliant ideas receive the backing they deserve. Our approach doesn’t just continue progress, it accelerates it.
To learn more about Swansea’s Student Enterprise Team and startup successes, visit www.swansea.ac.uk/enterprise
