Nicola Sturgeon backs 2016 female entrepreneur conference

A conference to drive greater growth among female-led companies is set to take place in March next year, including Scotland’s first-ever pitch competition for women entrepreneurs, and backed by 
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Jackie Waring with Susie Logan. Picture: Ian Rutherford

Investing Women Angels, Scotland’s only female business angel group, launched the two-day event yesterday. Its aim is to boost the progress and scalability of women-led companies in Scotland and help more female entrepreneurs realise their full potential.

Sturgeon is to deliver a keynote speech at the inaugural two-day Ambition and Growth event and will announce the winner of the Accelerate Her competition. The contest is run in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University’s entrepreneurial hub Bright Red Triangle, and will see six finalists make their business case to some of the country’s most successful female entrepreneurs and business leaders at the Dynamic Earth event.

Jackie Waring, chief executive and founder of Investing Women, said: “Scotland has a deep pool of talented women brimming with brilliant ideas but for a variety of reasons only a fraction realise their full potential.

She said the event “aims to address this unhealthy paradox and showcase these talented women”.

The headline sponsor of the event is Standard Life, whose head of business marketing and communications is Susie Logan. Stephen Ingledew, its managing director of customers and marketing, said it is “a great opportunity for us to support our community of women investors and business owners”.