So, SetSquared has again been identified as the world's leading University Business Incubator! This outcome is the result of a rigorous analysis of metrics from over 1500 incubators in 78 countries, and to have this recognition for a third time is a very special achievement. But this post is to highlight a related success - that of our remarkable female graduate founders. November 19th (TODAY!) is Women's Entrepreneurship Day and so this a great time to recognise how well our entrepreneurs are doing.
Gender inequality is a fact, as borne out by countless statistics, and is certainly a feature of academic life in the UK. Women entrepreneurs face particular challenges, and the recent Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurs found that only 32% of UK entrepreneurs are women. It also made some of the reasons plain: It is therefore somewhat heartening to know that despite the challenges, that we should do more to address, our amazing women entrepreneurs make the University of Bath look good compared to competitor universities within the UK.
I'm truly proud of these remarkable individuals, and you will find some of them profiled on the SetSquared web pages at https://bath-setsquared.co.uk/whats-on/2019/11/5/womens-entrepreneurship-day. They set a great example - not just for other women, but to inspire people across our community and our City to "think innovation". After all, we've got a world-leading capability here to support you, so why not take advantage of that? And a part of that support is the mentoring available from those who have gone before, so we can all benefit from their success.
The University has so much to offer, not just to individuals but to the City and the region as well. But it comes down to individuals, and what they decide to do with their time. Today is a day to consider how we can do more to support the journey that Women entrepreneurs have to travel down. And it's also a day to celebrate past successes while planning for the future, because those past successes offer some great examples for others to follow.
