Cultivating start-up success for Female Founders at Circle Square and Platform
By Bruntwood SciTech
Navigating the complex journey of a startup requires a powerful support system, strong direction, and a highly connected ecosystem. Across our Platform workspace in Leeds and the Circle Square neighbourhood in Manchester, the Female Founders Programme provides exactly that. By bringing together diverse tech and digital innovators - ranging from health tech apps to edtech platforms. We help talented entrepreneurs refine their strategy, secure critical grants, and become pitch-ready.
Watch how direct access to dedicated mentors, wider ecosystem partners, and a vibrant community of like-minded peers equips these visionary women with the mindset and roadmap needed to transform their ambitious ideas into thriving businesses.
Discover more about the Female Founders Incubator
I'm the director and co-founder of CI, a software development company.
Featherbed Tales is a storybook app. I'm the founder of Health Links, which is a complex symptom tracker.
Young Voices Matter is an edtech platform. Over the last six months, my biggest achievement would be becoming pitch-ready. I think I've just learned so much. This has given me focus; that's the main thing that I've got out of this, really. I've been able to scale the platform and bring it to the attention of investors.
I've secured an Innovate UK grant to start doing user testing, and I've also started to build a team, so it's been brilliant.
Bruntwood SciTech have been very good in facilitating those introductions to wider ecosystem partners. The programme has been so good because it's given me the roadmap, so I know where I'm going. I think it's increased my understanding of different ways of doing business.
Having a mentor has been a really important part of the process.
I got the best mentor; it was really useful to kind of hear their take and their approaches to things.
I've had really good input from my mentor this year, specifically about e-commerce and the technicalities of the business that I've never been taught. It's just been massively supportive throughout the programme, and I know that it'll just keep on supporting me whatever I need as well. So I'm hoping we'll be friends for a long time.
It's been a journey of unknowns. So, in terms of how have I changed?
I think my mentality and my mindset. I know what my skill sets are, what I can do well, and what I need help with.
I know where I'm heading, and I'm more open to opportunities because I'm more free in my mind.
I've become more assertive with my team, gotten used to doing that for myself.
It's really important to have people around you. It helps you see different perspectives; it helps you really grow the skills that you have.
Just to be able to bounce ideas with them has been amazing.