Facebook expands initiative to boost UK’s female founders

Facebook is expanding its #SheMeansBusiness programme as the social networking website looks to boost the number of female founders in the UK and strengthen the economy.

The programme has so far provided support to 13,000 women by helping them to achieve their business aspirations.

Training

Facebook’s #SheMeansBusiness programme was first launched in 2016 with the aim of providing training to 10,000 women and bringing a £45m boost to the UK economy.

The programme’s expansion will see the social networking website teaming up with AllBright, an initiative that provides training and funding to female business owners. The programme will now include a ten-week training course, which will provide thousands of women with tips and advice on management to help them grow their business.

The expansion comes as research commissioned by Facebook showed that female founders that are part of a business community are twice as likely to predict growth compared to those who are not part of a community. However, 50% of female founders said that they are not part of a business network, suggesting that more needs to be done to help women feel part of the current business environment.

The study also showed that women recognise the benefits of being part of these business groups and connecting with other like-minded people, with more than 45% believing that it would be helpful to their business.

Support

Commenting on the importance of providing more support to female founders, Facebook’s EMEA Vice President Nicola Mendelsohn said: “Growing a business is tough, but it’s particularly tough for female business leaders. Being part of a business community, and having ongoing support to make progress on self-development, can make all the difference.

“It’s why we’re thrilled to welcome AllBright into the #SheMeansBusiness partner network, to help expand the reach of its free digital learning programme – The AllBright Academy.”