***Applications now closed***
Female Founders Scale Up is a dedicated and prestigious programme for ambitious female founders of screen-based companies.
Recent studies show that numbers of female-led companies are on the rise, yet women in business are still at a disadvantage to their male counterparts. The programme will equip female entrepreneurs with the skills and confidence to scale their business and form a cohort of female business leaders across the regions. This is a unique proposition for female-led screen-businesses with ambition to grow.
Who is it for?
The programme is for companies led by women or those who identify as women, working in moving image for storytelling, spanning film and television, games and technology*. Companies should be based in the English regions outside of London, have some proven success and be ready to take their business to the next level.
The Female Founders programme is only available to businesses based in the English regions outside of London (any address based outside the M25) at the moment. If you are based in London, your application will be automatically declined.
Games Companies from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can apply for a limited number of seats on this programme, made available through support from inGAME , Clwstwr and Northern Ireland Screen. If you are based in any of the devolved administrations (Wales) please get in touch with our team at creativeenterprise@creativeengland.co.uk if you would like to apply.
*We can support applicants working in branded content, if the company retain the IP rights of the content they produce, or are actively looking to move away from commercial work and form a creative arm of the business.
What is involved?
Female Founders Scale Up will deliver as free series of intense workshops and business coaching sessions (valued at £3,499) over eight months where companies taking part in the programme will:
- Create and complete a comprehensive plan to scale their businesses
- Get expert advice on business planning, funding and finance, taking their businesses to market, decision making and how to structure teams and hire the right talent
- Gain a greater understanding of revenue models, profitability and IP monetisation
- Learn directly from and build their network with proven industry leaders
- Receive one to one business coaching throughout the programme
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Female Founders Alumni
Every single part of our business has changed since being on the program. So we’re in a new, bigger office, we’ve got a bigger, a bigger team working with us now, both sort of permanent employees and freelancers and consultants as well. We’re working on much bigger projects than we were this time last year. And we’re working on our first original content, which is really, really exciting.
Alex Farquharson – Thread Films , Female Founders
The program has really, really enabled our business to scale up. So first of all, we’re continuing doing what we always started off by doing which is produce scripted content for a lot of the UK suppliers like BBC and Sky. So we’re still doing that, but just to a slightly higher and slightly more aggressive manner.
And then the other way that we’ve grown is that actually, I’ve set up another company, which is a development consultancy business so we’ve got two for the price of one in terms of companies, I really feel that we had our handheld the whole journey of our growing business.
Sophie Morgan – Portopia Productions, Female Founders
The biggest change my business has experienced has just been to really learn about the industry on a high level, I didn’t have that knowledge about distribution and rights and how everything works. And I think talking to the other women on the program and the industry professionals we got to speak to I really acquired that knowledge.
Eline van der Velden – Particle6 Productions, Female Founders
Eligibility
The Female Founders programme is only available to businesses based in the English regions outside of London (any address based inside the M25) at the moment. If you are based in London, your application will be automatically declined. If you are based in any of the devolved administrations (Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland) please get in touch with our team at creativeenterprise@creativeengland.co.uk if you would like to apply.
You will need to show that your business has the potential and ambition to scale up. To be considered for the programme, companies must:
- Have successfully created a revenue generating product, reached a market/audience of scale or launched a new platform/ tech service that has enabled storytelling through moving image.
- You must have employed a minimum of 2 people (including yourself) at some point in the 2 years prior to lockdown (March 2020) either in full-time or FTE roles.
- Have generated a sales revenue in the last 3 years in addition to any funding secured via grants, investment etc.
- Be committed to the long term development of your company
Deadline for Applications is 29th July.
Check out the previous Female Founders 2021/2022 Cohort
***Applications Now Closed***
Frequently Asked Questions
Should you have any access or communication requirements relating to our applications and guidance, then please contact the team at creativeenterprise@creativeengland.co.uk or 0333 023 5240. Subsistence contributions are available to assist with the costs of travel and accessibility of the programme. Funds are limited and at the discretion of Creative England.
If you would like to discuss any accessibility requirements prior to applying, please get in touch with Creative Enterprise Team at creativeenterprise@creativeengland.co.uk.
The Female Founders Scale Up programme is part of Creative Enterprise, which has been developed with National Lottery funding from the BFI, to increase the sustainability of the moving image sector by optimising business opportunities through connections, training, expert advice and strategy support.
