Innovate UK faces increasing pressure regarding its funding practices for women.

Pressure is mounting on Innovate UK in spite of their recent reversal of their decision on the Women in Innovation Awards. The agency originally announced that only 25 grants would be awarded to female founders, after previously stating that up to 50 women entrepreneurs would share a £4m pot. This sparked a wave of protests on social media, which gained traction globally after one Liverpool-based FemTech entrepreneur received an email. Innovate UK was ultimately forced to backtrack on its decision. Social media influencer Cindy Gallop highlighted the incident on Twitter, urging female founders to speak out against investors who fail to fund them. The incident has prompted calls for Innovate UK to explain its original decision and what led to its reversal. Tangerine Group chair Sandy Lindsay commented that she had suspected Innovate UK’s methods for some time. Emma Jarvis, co-founder of ‘Let’s Fund More Women,’ a campaign group which led protests against the announcement, encouraged Innovate UK to provide funding for the remaining 25 awards, reform the application process and commit greater funding to the programme in years to come.