Oxford Innovation Advice has partnered with Lifted Ventures, the UK investment connector for regional female founders, to deliver an exclusive Female Founders Workshop as part of Business Funding Summit 2026. The workshop takes place on Wednesday 18 November, 2pm–5pm, at Sixways Stadium, Worcester.
The partnership reflects a core belief at Oxford Innovation Advice: effective business support is not one-size-fits-all. Different founder communities face different barriers, and support works best when it is designed around them.
Female founders remain significantly underrepresented in UK investment. The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship found that less than 2% of UK venture funding goes to all-female founding teams, and only around 14% of UK angel investors are women. The barriers are well evidenced – access to finance, confidence, networks and investment readiness, and they call for a targeted response.
A workshop built around female founders
Delivered by Lifted Ventures in partnership with Oxford Innovation Advice, the three-hour session is designed for ambitious female founders at pre-seed through to those who plan to raise investment in the next 12 to 18 months. Founders from every sector are welcome, whether preparing for a first raise or planning the next stage of growth.
Facilitated by Lifted Ventures co-founder Jordan Dargue, the workshop covers:
- Growth: Where Are You Going? Exploring ambition, business models and growth opportunities
- Practical Founder Exercise Identifying the key constraint or opportunity in each business
- Funding Your Ambition Funding options, investment readiness and accessing capital
- From Insight to Action An individual 90-day founder action plan
- Connections Facilitated networking with fellow founders and investors, plus signposting to further support
Why a tailored approach matters
Catherine Bray, Director of Delivery, Oxford Innovation Advice, said: “We know that the same programme doesn’t land equally for every business. Female founders tell us the barriers they face are different – from access to investor networks to the confidence to pitch.
“Partnering with Lifted Ventures lets us offer support that is shaped around those realities, delivered by people who live and breathe this space. It’s a model we can apply to any group a region wants to reach.”
Jordan Dargue, Co-Founder, Lifted Ventures, said: “Female founders outside London and the South East have huge potential, but too often lack the networks and investment-readiness support to unlock it. Working with Oxford Innovation Advice, we can bring practical, founder-focused support directly into the region and help more women-led businesses take their next step towards funding.”
If you are a female founder of an SME planning to raise investment, book a space now. Places are limited and expected to fill quickly.
Book here: Business Funding Summit 2026 – Female Founders Workshop (Eventbrite)