UK's most innovative female-led businesses receive funding boost

Innovate UK has awarded funding and support to 9 of the UK’s most innovative female-led businesses, as part of its campaign to boost diversity in innovation.

The 9 entrepreneurs will receive £50,000 business funding and a package of bespoke support to help grow their business and boost the UK economy, the government said.

The winners of the 2019 Women in Innovation awards were announced on International Women’s Day. The awards are part of Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation campaign, which aims to encourage female-led innovation and help women achieve their business ambitions.

The winners are tackling some of society’s biggest challenges set out in the government’s modern Industrial Strategy, including artificial intelligence (AI) and the future of mobility.

"The winning women are developing pioneering innovations to tackle the grand challenges we face as a society, from a new paper coating to cut down single use plastic, to helping us train mechanics using simulators," business secretary Greg Clark said.

"This is our modern Industrial Strategy in action, backing businesses of all sizes across the UK to grow and boost the economy with the skills and inventions we need for the next generation," Mr Clark added. 

The 2019 winners

From reducing cold and damp in Britain’s homes to revolutionising the factory floor, the winners are working on a range of innovative solutions:

• Agnes Czako, AirEx – smart-tech airbrick that improves a home’s energy efficiency by using AI to monitor and respond to the environment, weather and occupant behaviour
• Alex Haslehurst, Vitrue Health – a tool to help clinicians assess patient health, particularly motor function, more efficiently
• Cintia Kimura, KG Protech – a remote practical training system for car mechanics
• Daniela Paredes Fuentes, Gravity Sketch – virtual reality software that allows designers to sketch in a 3D space
• Dr Debbie Wake, MyWay Digital Health – digital platform that provides diabetes patients with personalised advice using patient information and home-recorded data
• Dolores Sanders, Total Control Pro Ltd – using big data-sharing to streamline small businesses’ manufacturing processes
• Dr Fanya Ismail, Sol-Gel Coatings and Advanced Materials – using a ‘sol-gel’ chemical process to create plastic-free coffee cup coating
• Jessica Bruce, Run3D – using 3D gait analysis originally conceived for runners to help older adults and those recovering from surgery to walk pain-free
• Sheana Yu, Aergo – wheelchair seating system which uses air cells to ensure the user remains comfortable and supported

"It’s such a huge encouragement to be recognised for the work you’ve done. If my story can motivate more women like me, that will be a really exciting part of the journey," Sheana Yu, one of the 9 winners and founder and CEO of Aergo, said.

"This award will be a great platform to grow by learning from other female founders, and be a part of a network of inspirational women," she added. 

Innovate UK launched Women in Innovation in 2016, after research revealed that just one in 7 applications for Innovate UK support came from women. Boosting the number of female entrepreneurs could deliver £180 billion to the economy.