Invest in Women Hub

Run by the Council for Investing in Female Entrepreneurs (CfIFE), the Invest in Women Hub is a one-stop-shop resource created to help the UK Government achieve its ambition of increasing the number of female entrepreneurs by almost 600,000 by 2030.

Working alongside other initiatives such as the Investing in Women Code, the Hub provides useful guidance and information for women on key topics such as:

  • the practicalities of setting up and running a business
  • where to access business finance
  • how to balance work and motherhood/family life
  • networking and where to find support

CfIFE was set up following the Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, commissioned by the Treasury and led by Alison Rose (CEO of NatWest Group), in 2019. Its members include a range of financial institutions, advisory services companies and government organisations.

British Business Bank is proud to be a member of CfIFE and play a role in helping to remove many of the barriers that women face when trying to start and grow a business in the UK.

cife logo invest in women hub
Explore the resources on the Invest in Women Hub

Start Up Loans

At Start Up Loans, we have a long history of providing financial support to women who want to start and grow their own businesses.

We’re proud that nearly 40% of the loans we’ve approved – that’s almost 32,000 – have gone to female founders. By supporting the Invest in Women Hub, we hope to inspire and encourage more and more women to make entrepreneurship their careers.

woman writing looking at papers with a laptop on the table

Did you know?

  • Men in the UK are five times more likely than women to build a business with a turnover of £1 million or more
  • Businesses launched by women receive 53% less capital than their male counterparts
  • Women are twice as likely as men to mention family responsibilities as a barrier to starting a business
  • For every 10 male entrepreneurs in the UK, there are fewer than five female entrepreneurs

The essential guide to starting a business

If you’re in the early stages of your journey then you may be interested in this short guide we’ve created to help you through the process of starting up. It’s full of all the essential information you need to start a business in the UK, plus tips and advice for creating your core business documents.

The essential guide to starting a business (.pdf - 1.52MB)Download the guide (.pdf, 1.52mb)