There are still too few women starting out and growing a business.

We need to eliminate the barriers that remain, be it access to finance or to childcare or because of some other form of discrimination.

RBS calculated that boosting female entrepreneurship could deliver approximately £60bn extra to the UK economy. Anne McPherson, managing director, diversity in business at Natwest / RBS 

• Under a third of the UK’s 4.6 million self-employed workers are women – 
Labour Force Survey 2014
• There are now almost 1.5 million women self-employed which represents an increase of around 300,000 since before the economic downturn – Women in Enterprise: A Different Perspective, RBS Group 2013; Prowess.org.uk.
• In the UK female Total Early Stage Entrepreneur Activity levels were 66% of males in 2013 up from 57% in 2012. However, the difference in participation rate between men and women in established Business Owner/Managers is wider at 43% of that of males. – Global Entrepreneur Monitor 2013
• More than 126 million women entrepreneurs were starting or running new businesses in 67 economies in 2012 – Global Report on Women and Entrepreneurship, GEM 2012; Prowess.org.uk
• In every single economy included in the study, women have lower capabilities perceptions than men. In every region, women have, on average, a greater level of fear of failure than men -Global Report on Women and Entrepreneurship, GEM 2012; Prowess.org.uk



SEED is a recognised brand, endorsed by the media, with a high profile spokesperson in Lynne Franks, who herself represents the values and vision of the Seed-preneur.

SEED works in the global arena and has the potential to extend its reach, bringing international, national and regional groups of women entrepreneurs together as one network.