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Please note – and due to large application numbers –  priority will be given to teams whose pitch matches our requirements as set below under Pitch Requirements .

All ideas must be original work or an improvement upon an existing idea without infringements.

We use an inclusive definition of “woman” and “female”, and we welcome transwomen, genderqueer women, and non-binary people who identify as gender-nonconforming, female, and/or woman.

Download the pdf that shows what we ask for in your application so you can prepare before submitting it online.

  • Your business must either be founded by a woman or co-founded by a woman who holds significant equity (not options) and in a C-level position. Please note, for mixed team, the term sheet will hold the other founders liable to this clause.
  • You should have a team that demonstrates industry, technical and/or startup experience. For young founders, university degrees or experience within the industry of your business should be sufficient but we highly advise finding cofounders to for example offset your lack of business experience. For seed investments, feel free to contact us directly if you’re having troubles finding a cofounder.
  • IDEALLY your pitch follows the rules stated below
  • Ideally, you are a UK business eligible for SEIS and/or EIS tax relief
  • You are willing to work with advisors
  • You are willing to commit wholeheartedly to the training process
  • All industries are accepted, however, based on the number of applications, three verticals will be chosen for each training program. 

Selection Process

  • Follow up one-to-one interview with a startup specialist and an advisor
  • Review and selection
  • Training program
  • Pitch day
  • Due diligence

For startups post-seed, make sure to have ready the following documents:

  • Contracts for team members, advisors, consultants, key suppliers and customers; trading history and financial forecasts; certified accounting documents; IP…
  • Current and previous funding rounds – term sheet and shareholder agreement, cap table, S/EIS advanced assurance; outstanding loans …

Pitch Requirements

Guide to your pitch deck submission:

We read every pitch that is sent to us.

However, in order to facilitate processing please follow the below steps in your pitch creation:

We will then either get back to you with request for a more detailed pitch or with pointers on what your business is missing (in particular for seed projects)

Rule of thumb for pitch decks

  • Use as few words as possible
  • Make it visual
  • Use numbers where you can
  • 1 idea or 3 bullet points

In a nutshell keep it simple!

  1. Context or trend
  2. Problem/opportunity 3 slides : What is the problem, Why hasn’t it been solved, How you plan to crack it
  3. Product/Service 3 slides : What is the value proposition – short and simple, How (demo of product), Why : testimonial, why users/clients love the product)
  4. Target/Market: What is the initial and future target, How you compete, and Why you will succeed
  5. Execution/data: Go to market/distribution , business model, key performance indicators
  6. People

This is a brief summary of what we expect and is actually credited to Jean de La Rochebrochard, partner at Kima Venture and our co-founder Amber’s first internship boss. Since her move into entrepreneurship Amber has dutifully and successfully followed his notes on how to write the best pitch deck.

Here are the links to How to make a compelling pitch deck and the Pitch deck template for you to use.

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Yes I support the need for

more female founders to be get funding