Prowess Journal

Prowess

SINCE 2002 · WOMEN IN BUSINESS

FEATURED INSIGHT

The Voice That Built
the Agenda: Reclaiming Power in UK Policy

Resources, support and evidence-based insights.

Trusted Since 2002

The real numbers, the honest stories, and the practical guidance that help women start, fund, and grow businesses in the UK.

Sep 25, 2026

When Anita Lamb registered her cleaning company, she had no investor, no loan, no savings, and credit too poor for a conventional bank. She funded it from the work itself, and a year later a chamber handed her an award for it. The story of how she did it, in her own words, starts with one cleaning job and a decision made under pressure.

Mireia Paino
Aug 20, 2026

Every service business has a quiet asset on its books that it rarely touches: the clients it has already worked with. They know you. They have paid you before. And somewhere in their business is a problem you are equipped to solve. Yet most founders will spend the coming months chasing strangers instead.

QUARTERLY DATA

uk 2026

The Prowess Index

Share of UK equity investment value going to all-female founder teams

Capital raised, by founding team, 2024

All-male teams :

£8.33bn

All-female teams :

£190m

SOURCE: BRITISH BUSINESS BANK, SMALL BUSINESS EQUITY │ TRACKER (2021–2024) · FINANCIAL TIMES, JANUARY 2026 │ (2025 PRELIMINARY) · RISE REPORT 2026

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