Prowess Connect is the peer network for anyone passionate about supporting women in business and committed to driving positive change across the UK. Run by Prowess, it brings together business owners, enterprise advisers, mentors, campaigners and local support organisations who want to share knowledge, amplify their impact and work collectively for a fairer business environment.
The network is built on a simple idea: no single organisation can remove every barrier that women entrepreneurs face, but by connecting people with different skills, experience and local insight, we can achieve far more together than we can alone. Whether you are running a women’s business group, delivering start-up support, or building a company yourself, Prowess Connect offers a space to exchange ideas, find collaborators and turn shared concerns into practical action.
Why a women in business network matters
Women-led businesses make a substantial contribution to the UK economy. According to the Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship: Progress or Promises? (2023), women-led SMEs now contribute around £105 billion to economic output, up from £85 billion in earlier estimates. The number of all-female-founded businesses has grown significantly, yet women still start and scale businesses at lower rates than men.
The funding gap remains one of the most persistent barriers. The British Business Bank (2024) has found that all-female founder teams receive around 2% of UK equity investment, while mixed-gender teams and all-male teams continue to attract the majority of venture capital. This imbalance is not simply a matter of ambition or pipeline; it reflects structural gaps in access to networks, investor relationships and growth finance. You can read more about this in our article on the female founder VC funding gap.
These challenges are not evenly spread. Regional disparities persist, with women in some parts of the country far less likely to access finance, training or peer support than those in major cities. Groups such as single parents, women returning after redundancy or career breaks, social entrepreneurs and mothers running businesses around family life often face additional hurdles. A dedicated women in business network helps to surface these issues, share what works and campaign for change at both local and national level.
What Prowess Connect offers
Prowess Connect is an open, friendly and action-oriented community. There is no membership fee; the only requirement is a genuine commitment to supporting women in business. Members connect through online discussions, virtual meetings and occasional in-person events, depending on demand and location.
The network covers a wide range of interests and specialisms, reflecting the diversity of women’s enterprise in the UK. Common themes include:
- Social entrepreneurship and mission-led business
- Support for single parents and women balancing work with caring responsibilities
- Mothers in business and flexible, family-friendly enterprise models
- Redundancy, career transitions and returning to work
- Access to funding, finance and investment readiness
- Regional enterprise support and local networking
By pooling experience across these areas, members can spot opportunities to collaborate on bids, training programmes, events, research and campaigns. Past collaborations have included joint funding applications, shared workshops and local partnership-building, all designed to improve the support available to women entrepreneurs.
Members also gain access to a trusted peer group that understands the specific pressures of supporting women-led enterprise. Whether you need feedback on a new project, introductions to potential partners, or simply a sounding board for an idea, the network is designed to be responsive and practical.
Who can join Prowess Connect
Prowess Connect is not exclusive. It is open to anyone who shares its core aims:
- Providing high-quality, accessible support to women starting and growing businesses
- Campaigning for a better deal for women entrepreneurs locally and nationally
- Encouraging government, funders and business bodies to back initiatives that genuinely help women in business
Members include established business owners, social entrepreneurs, trainers, coaches, local authority officers, representatives of business support organisations and women’s enterprise groups. The more energy, perspective and expertise the network attracts, the stronger its collective voice becomes.
Current context for women entrepreneurs
Several recent developments make networks like Prowess Connect especially valuable. The British Business Bank’s new funding rules for women founders are reshaping how finance reaches women-led businesses, while initiatives such as the Women Backing Women Fund (2024) are deploying capital from a £130 million vehicle to back female founders.
Policy changes also affect women in business directly. From Making Tax Digital for sole traders to flexible working rights and free childcare for the self-employed, the regulatory landscape shifts constantly. Staying on top of these shifts is difficult when you are running a business or supporting others, which is why a peer network can be such a useful source of timely information and mutual support.
How to get involved
If you would like to join Prowess Connect, or simply find out more about how the network operates, the best next step is to get in touch with Prowess directly. You can sign up to the Prowess newsletter for updates on network meetings, campaigns and opportunities to collaborate, or follow Prowess on social media to join the wider conversation about women in business in the UK.
Whether you want to share your expertise, find partners for a project, or help shape the future of women’s enterprise support, Prowess Connect offers a practical, supportive route to making a bigger impact. If you believe that women entrepreneurs deserve better networks, better funding and better representation, you are very welcome to be part of it.
Practical action steps to take
- Review the latest women in business facts to understand the current landscape.
- Sign up to the Prowess newsletter to receive invitations to Prowess Connect meetings and campaigns.
- Identify one area where your experience could help another woman in business, and offer to share it through the network.
- Connect with local women’s enterprise groups and explore opportunities for joint working.
