Athena Fund X IWD Business Showcase & Awards 2024
On Thursday 28 March 2024, Athena Fund X, a dynamic initiative committed to empowering women in entrepreneurship globally, hosted its inaugural 'HerMarket' Business Showcase & Awards event at Zinc VC offices in Central London. The event, to celebrate International Women's Day 2024 and #InspireInclusion included a business showcase, a keynote speech by Janet Coyle CBE, Managing Director of Grow London Global, London & Partners; a masterclass on personal branding and storytelling with Cat Totty and Jennifer Clamp; a panel discussion on 'Accessing Capital & Making it Work for Female Founders' moderated by Lopa Patel MBE, Chair of Diversity UK and a special film screening of 'Below the Belt: The Last Health Taboo' about endometriosis.
Panel debate on 'Accessing Capital & Making it Work for Female Founders'
The panel debate on 'Accessing Capital & Making it Work for Female Founders' was moderated by Lopa Patel MBE, Chair of Diversity UK & Founder of Asians in Tech heard from David Woods, Senior Manager UK Network at British Business Bank; Ella Goldner, Co-Founder and GP of Zinc VC; Lauren Mathurin, Senior Vice President, Early Stage Banking - HSBC Innovation Banking; Maria Lema, Co-Founder & CEO at Weaver Labs and Roshan Bharwani, Chief Product Officer – Impresario Global and Angel Investor.
The panel opened with personal insights on initiatives, strategies, challenges or success stories in addressing the gender investment gap in access to funding and debated questions such as: How can financial institutions and investors better support women entrepreneurs in securing funding for their ventures? How do we ensure that female founders are able to access funding that’s being freed up or made available (e.g. pension funds, recent reversal on angel investing cap)? What role can mentorship and networking play in helping women navigate the capital landscape and secure investment opportunities? What can entrepreneurs do themselves to maximise their opportunities for funding? Top tips for getting funded.
‘HerMarket’ Business Showcase
Business Showcase: HERMARKET is a unique event that brings together talented women from various industries, offering a platform to showcase their innovative products and services with the Business Advice Lounge supported by Kristen Montalvo, Business Support Manager at Grow London Local; Wendy Foster, SBREC Manager at City of London Corporation and Eliza Platts-Mills, Public Legal Education Lead at QLegal.
About the Athena X Awards
Designed to honour visionaries and celebrate excellence, the Athena X Awards shine a spotlight on trailblazing women entrepreneurs who are shaping the future, driving innovation, and making a positive impact on the world. From technology pioneers to social change-makers, the Athena Awards recognise and celebrate outstanding achievements across diverse industries. The winners were:
Athena X Award Winners 2024
Retail, Fashion & Beauty Innovator Of The Year
Celebrating a female entrepreneur who has shown exceptional leadership and innovation in the retail, e-commerce, fashion or beauty industry.
Winner - Funmi Lawal, Founder - Clip Knix
The Lateral Healthcare Innovator Of The Year
Acknowledging a female entrepreneur who has made significant contributions to the life sciences industry, advancing healthcare solutions and promoting well-being. Sponsored by Lateral.
Winner - Chung Looi, CEO - Ablatus
Runner-up - Inas Ismail PhD, Founder - Autsera
Creative Visionary Of The Year
Honouring a female entrepreneur who has demonstrated exceptional creativity and vision in the arts or creative industries.
Winner - Shama Rahman, NeuroCreate
Runner-up - Cecilia Ho, Shoh Ltd
Tech Innovator Of The Year
Recognising a female entrepreneur who has demonstrated outstanding innovation in the technology sector.
Winner - Sanghamitra Chakvarty, Founder - InvictIQ
Social & Climate Champion Of The Year
Acknowledging a female entrepreneur who has made a significant positive impact on their community or who has shown leadership and innovation in climate smart industries, focusing on solutions to mitigate climate change and promote sustainability.
Winner - Murvah Iqbal, Co-Founder - Hived
Athena Trailblazer Of The Year
Honouring the Top Female Entrepreneur of the Year
Winner: Clare Brass, Moree
Rising Star Of The Year
Recognising a promising female entrepreneur who shows great potential for future success and growth in their venture.
Winner - Freya Hickman, re;mind Health
About Athena Fund X
Co-founded by Angie Madara and Parul Kushagra, Athena X is a dynamic initiative committed to empowering women in entrepreneurship globally. It is igniting a revolution in the startup world by empowering women tech entrepreneurs to take their rightful place in the industry. We know that diversity and inclusion are the key to driving innovation and propelling the global economy forward, and that’s why we are on a mission to increase the number of women building technology businesses, and help boost the global GDP by an estimated USD 5 trillion.
1 Million Women
The 1 Million Women And Youth Entrepreneurship campaign is an initiative launched by Athena FundX with the goal of bridging the gender gap that exists in entrepreneurship and funding. One key aspect of this initiative is the establishment of a fund for female and young entrepreneurs.
This fund is designed to provide critical seed and test funding for female and youth-led startups and help support their growth and development. The fund is open to women and youth entrepreneurs globally and would prioritise those from underrepresented backgrounds.
For further information visit https://athenafundx.com/
