mnAi partner with Enterprise Works to provide key data to support research into women in business.

Numerous reports have highlighted the benefits of female entrepreneurship to the British economy, demonstrating their untapped potential and the necessity to address challenges women face in succeeding in business. 

The research will look at how women are overcoming social bias and barriers to business as well as what needs to be done to remove the necessity for continued gender equality conversations over the next decade. In developing a report specifically for York & North Yorkshire, the research team is focused on addressing the challenges unique to this region and co-creating solution-based approaches.

Prof Kiran Trehan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Partnerships and Engagement, University of York and Professor of Entrepreneurship, who is leading the research, said: “We have reached a tipping point, where governments, business support organisations and female entrepreneurs themselves realise the enormous value of female enterprise to the regional and national economy. It is vital for the future success of the region that we have a clear, data-driven understanding of the needs of this community, to ensure that we maximise our, and their, chances of success and drive Inclusive growth for all.”

mnAi will provide the research team with access to their platform which will provide vital hard-to-find data on UK companies. With over 375 different data fields, historical information is complemented by cutting-edge technology to create unique and proprietary data on emissions, diversity, gender, productivity, investment, debt, grants, financials and more. 

Extracted data will be used within the research report. The research also comprises results from a survey of the experiences of women in business, and an interactive workshop where women discussed and defined solution-based actions and radical strategies needed to drive change.

mnAi also developed a free tool for female entrepreneurs, The Gender Index (TGI), a ground-breaking data source which benchmarks female entrepreneur activity and spotlights the gender gap in entrepreneurship. This one-of-a-kind AI-powered tool maps all 4.5+ million active UK companies in real-time and provides insights into gender, sector, investment type, and ethnic minority leadership.

TGI Chairman, Jill Pay, says, “We have the ability to map every company in every country, region, LEP and local authority across the UK, by gender, sector, investment type, fast growth and company age, in real-time. By making this information freely available, our ambition is to ensure that greater support is provided to female-founded companies, helping to accelerate and stimulate fiscal and corporate growth.”

Ricky Cowan, Managing Director of mnAi said: “We are delighted to be working with University of York and supporting their endeavours to support the development of the region and its female founder power base, we’re looking forward to seeing the output and the impact it will have.”

The results of the research and final report will be presented to the York and North Yorkshire Mayor, David Skaith, as well as other business support organisations, to shape policy going forward. 

The report will be officially launched at an event in York on the 12th June 2024 at the Guildhall. This interactive event will outline the enormous benefits of supporting female entrepreneurship, the lived experience of our region's female business owners, the key findings on how to support our regional female entrepreneurship and drive change to a more diverse, inclusive, and prosperous economy in York and North Yorkshire.