If you are a woman founder running an innovative business, here is a funding signal worth noting. Innovate UK has named the largest cohort yet for its programme backing women founders in priority industries. On 5 August 2024, the national innovation agency announced that 100 women founders would receive grants and business support to develop innovations across advanced manufacturing, digital technologies and life sciences. The agency, part of UK Research and Innovation, said the programme would help the winners commercialise ideas that could reshape healthcare, strengthen supply chains and accelerate the UK’s transition to net zero.

Women in Innovation Awards 2024/25 name 100-strong cohort

The Women in Innovation Awards 2024/25 selected 100 women founders and co-founders from across the UK. This is the largest cohort since the programme began in 2016, according to Innovate UK. Sixty-one of the women will each receive a £75,000 grant alongside 12 months of tailored business support, training, networking and mentoring. A further 39 founders will join the recognition list and gain access to the programme’s wider support network.

This expansion marks another milestone for the Women in Innovation programme, which Innovate UK launched in 2016. Since then, the initiative has invested more than £11 million in 200 women innovators. Innovate UK published those figures when the 2024/25 competition opened in November 2023. The 2024/25 cohort nearly doubles the previous recognition list and adds 61 new grant recipients.

Emily Nott, Head of Inclusive Innovation at Innovate UK, congratulated the winners. She said the programme’s continued growth demonstrates the “extraordinary talent, unstoppable ambition and groundbreaking innovation” that women across the UK are developing.

How the grant funding breaks down

The grant funding totals £4.575 million for the 61 award winners. Innovate UK published the original competition brief in November 2023. It set aside up to £4.5 million for as many as 60 awards. The final cohort exceeded both targets, with 61 winners each receiving the full £75,000 grant.

Funding from the programme is non-dilutive. Founders do not give up equity in exchange for the money. British Business Bank research from 2021 shows that women founders often face tougher terms when raising private investment. This makes non-dilutive funding especially valuable. Alongside the cash, winners receive a structured package of support that prepares them for further growth.

The support package includes:

• Twelve months of tailored business support from innovation specialists.
• Training in areas such as finance, intellectual property and scaling operations.
• Networking opportunities with investors, corporates and other founders.
• Mentoring from women who have already built and exited innovative businesses.

The programme targets late-stage start-ups with minimum viable products, early revenue or proven user interest. It also supports founders who plan to raise significant capital within 12 to 24 months, according to the competition brief. This focus helps bridge the gap between early research and commercial scale.

Founders span three high-growth sectors

The 2024/25 cohort concentrates on three sectors named in UK industrial strategy priorities: advanced manufacturing, digital technologies and life sciences. Innovate UK said the founders are working on innovations that could improve healthcare and strengthen supply chains. Their work could also support the transition to net zero and help UK businesses compete in global markets.

One of the 61 grant winners is Emma-Louise Fusari, a qualified nurse and founder of In-House Health Limited. Her Greater Manchester-based business is developing a workplace health and social care platform. She will use the grant and support to improve how organisations manage employee health and wellbeing. Her inclusion highlights how the programme backs practical innovation rooted in frontline experience.

The sector focus also reflects where the UK is trying to build competitive advantage. Advanced manufacturing covers robotics, materials and clean production methods. Digital technologies include artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and software platforms. Life sciences span diagnostics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and health data. By concentrating support in these areas, the programme aims to turn research strengths into commercial success.

Who is in the 2024/25 cohort

The cohort reflects a broad range of backgrounds and responsibilities. Innovate UK reported the following diversity profile for the 100 founders in its August 2024 announcement:

• 29% identify as being from an ethnic minority background, excluding white minorities.
• 20% reported a long-term health condition, illness or disability.
• 50% have caring or parental responsibilities.

These figures matter because they show who is currently building UK innovation businesses. Women founders, particularly those with caring duties or disabilities, often face additional barriers to funding and scaling. The programme explicitly aims to address that gap by providing both capital and connections.

Innovate UK said the geographic spread is wider than in previous cohorts, with founders based outside London and the South East as well as in established tech clusters. The programme increasingly emphasises that innovation talent reaches across the country and does not cluster in a handful of cities.

Why this matters for the wider ecosystem

The announcement is more than a press release. It arrives at a critical moment for female founders, who still receive a tiny share of UK equity investment. In 2023, all-female founder teams secured just 2% of UK equity investment, down from 2.5% in 2022. All-male teams received more than 80% of venture capital allocated, according to Beauhurst (2024). The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee cited these figures in 2025.

Government-backed programmes such as Women in Innovation provide a direct funding route that does not depend on private investors. They also signal that women-led businesses are investable. This support does not replace private capital, but it can de-risk early growth and help founders reach the milestones that attract later-stage investment.

Ministers have also pointed to wider research showing that backing female-led businesses is good for growth. A government-commissioned report published in July 2024 found that Investing in Women Code signatories have outperformed the wider market for the fifth consecutive year. The code is a voluntary commitment by investors and lenders to improve female founders’ access to finance.

For women founders reading this, the practical implication is clear. Public funding remains available even when venture capital is tight, and it does not cost you equity. Applications for future rounds typically open in late autumn. The competition now stands as a major source of non-dilutive finance for innovative women-led businesses. The awards also create a visible pipeline of role models that can encourage more women to pursue ambitious, technology-driven ventures.

For more funding options, read our guide to grants for women in business, explore the context on female founder VC funding in the UK, and bookmark our UK women in business facts page for up-to-date statistics.