London women-led tech firms head to Silicon Valley for investment and expansion

Fifteen women-led technology startups, based in London, will be part of a trade mission to the West Coast of the United States next week to explore investment, export and expansion opportunities.

The four-day trade mission, led by the Mayor’s International Business Programme and Silicon Valley Comes to the UK (SVC2UK), will provide the founders with opportunities to pitch to West Coast venture capital firms, learn from US founders about scaling their businesses and meet with executives at Google, Facebook and Box.

According to London & Partners investment data, 2017 was a record year for venture capital funding into UK tech companies from Bay Area investors, with British tech firms receiving over £1.6bn worth of funding compared with the £908m invested in 2017.

UK companies have also received significantly more investment from the Bay Area than their European counterparts, with UK firms attracting over four times the amount invested in France (£214m), Germany (£394m) and Sweden (£263m) last year.

The fifteen businesses joining the trade mission are growing at an average rate of over 75% per annum (based on the past three years) and collectively employ almost 400 people.

The fifteen businesses and founders joining the programme include:

• Abigail Rappoport, CEO, Emoquo
• Anne McNamara, Co-Founder & CEO, Shine Bid
• Darina Garland, Co-Founder & Chief Experience Officer, Uuni
• Devika Wood, Founder & CEO, Vida
• Ella Goldner, Co-Founder and General Manager, Zinc
• Harmeen Birk, Co-Founder & Director, Zenkai Consulting,
• Hellen Bowey, Co-Founder & CEO, Alcove
• Jessica Taylor, Managing Director, Preloaded
• Joanne Smith, Founder & Group CEO, Recordsure & TCC
• Lucy Stonehill, Founder & CEO, BridgeU
• Merilee Karr, Founder & CEO, UnderTheDoormat Ltd
• Paloma Strelitz, Co-Founder & Partner, Assemble
• Dr Sheri Jacobson, Founder & CEO, Harley Therapy Ltd
• Tamara Littleton, Founder & CEO, The Social Element
• Pip Jamieson, Founder and CEO of The Dots Global

The trade mission is part of the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan’s #BehindEveryGreatCity initiative, a campaign to mark the centenary of the first women in the UK winning the right to vote and drive forward gender equality across the city.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “London’s tech ecosystem is one of the most diverse in the world and the women in tech on this trade mission to Silicon Valley offer further proof that you can grow a successful tech business in London regardless of your gender or background.

“I am pleased that my International Business Programme is able to help them maximise their investment and networking opportunities in North America, creating further jobs and growth for London.

“As two of the world’s leading tech hubs, there is a great opportunity for London and Silicon Valley to lead the way in promoting greater diversity for the global tech community.”

Janet Coyle, director of trade and growth at London & Partners, added: “The women founders on this trade mission represent some of the UK’s most ambitious entrepreneurs and demonstrate the diversity of London’s tech ecosystem.

“2018 is an important year for London as we celebrate the centenary of the first women’s right to vote and we share the values of openness and innovation with Silicon Valley.

“We’ve seen many great success stories from previous trade missions and we are excited to create more opportunities for entrepreneurs on both sides of the pond to scale their businesses globally.”

According to a recent study of the impact of women-led businesses by Founders4Schools, over 1200 of UK women-led companies contributed a total of £26.1bn in revenue to the national economy.