Recommendation 9

Public funding structures should challenge gender bias and not reinforce it. Innovate UK should: • ringfence a minimum of 30% of its funding for female entrepreneurs with year on year increases to 40% by 2030; 53 • in the short term lower leverage ratios and reduce match funding requirements for women-owned businesses to help level the playing field and allow equitable access to opportunity; • ensure gender-equitable assessment panels; • publish gender-disaggregated data on funding applications, approvals and allocations, that data should include information on ethnicity and disability of applicants; • recognise femtech as a high value sector; and • review programme design and application processes, critically evaluating them for potential forms of indirect discrimination that may act as barriers to female founders. (Recommendation, Paragraph 48)