
The Lifted Project, a groundbreaking initiative to empower female founders across the UK, today announces the formation of its Birmingham Board.
The new initiative, which is supported by Lloyds Bank, has created regional female founder growth boards in five cities across the UK, in a bid to make high-growth entrepreneurship more accessible to women outside of London and the South East.
The Lifted Project is a data and ecosystem-led approach to increase the flow of capital to regional, high-growth female founders. A five-year project aligned with the Investing in Women Code and Treasury, utilises a data-driven approach and provides regional insights, powered by Panintelligence and Data City.
Lifted Ventures, an early-stage investment connector, is managing the rollout of the project. Co-founder Jordan Dargue comments:
“The West Midlands has a vibrant female founder ecosystem, but there’s room for significant growth. With The Lifted Project, we’re determined to bridge the funding gap and empower the next generation of women entrepreneurs.
This Board represents the best of the West Midlands business community. Together, we’re confident in creating a supportive environment for female-led businesses, allowing them to scale their businesses and achieve their full potential with the funding and support needed.
The Lifted Project Birmingham Board is poised to unlock a wave of innovation and economic growth, driven by the power of female leadership, and we’re excited to see what’s achieved.”
This targeted approach comes on the heels of a national push for gender equality in investment. While research shows the West Midlands has a higher proportion of female-led businesses (17.1%) compared to other regions in England, there’s still a significant funding disparity.
The Lifted Project Birmingham Board aims to change that by attracting new investment funds into the region, increasing the percentage of capital invested in female-led companies in the region, and better equipping founders with the resources and networks they need to thrive.
The Board is led by co-chairs Hephzi Pemberton and Tara Attfield-Tomes, and boasts a powerhouse line-up of regional leaders dedicated to bridging the gender finance gap and doubling the visibility of female-led businesses in the region.
Hephzi Pemberton is a serial entrepreneur, Angel Investor, and founder of Honordex and Equality Group. She brings a wealth of experience in building tech companies and fostering diversity in the workplace. Tara Attfield-Tomes is founder of multi-award-winning PR agency EAST VILLAGE., which works with female-serving brands, and The 51% Club, a community empowering female founders.
Joining the Birmingham Board are celebrated female founders Maxine Laceby, founder of Absolute Collagen, which grew to over £30 million turnover in its first seven years; and Melissa Snover, founder of Rem3dy Health, who raised the highest ever seed round in UK history by a female founder. Oyinkansola Adebayo, founder of the world’s first AI beauty salon Niyo Hair & Beauty, a serial tech entrepreneur, and Angel investor, also takes a seat on the board.
Alongside the founders are a number of leading funders from across the region, including Alexander McLeod, from Minerva Business Angels, a leading early-stage investor in the West Midlands; Julian Dennard, an Investment Director at Mercia, a leading provider of growth capital to innovative businesses in the Midlands and North of England; and Rupert Lyle, Investment Director at Midven, a venture capital firm that manages the West Midlands Co-Investment Fund.
Angel Investor Samantha Tubb, whose investment portfolio is 60% female, and Ashreen Seethal, innovation and investment champion at Innovate UK – a government agency focused on driving regional economic growth – also join the line-up. Alongside business support specialist Charlotte Bowden, from Business Growth West Midlands, and banking professional Anna Macrae. Hannah Ellis from Lloyds Bank – sponsors of The Lifted Project – and Roxanne Goodman, founder of Female Founder Finance, complete the Birmingham board.
The five-year project operates within the framework of the Rose Review and Treasury goals, aiming to establish the UK as the leading destination for gender-smart investment in Europe. Birmingham, alongside Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, and Newcastle, is at the forefront of this national movement.