From the moment I entered Manchester Central, I knew this She Leads For Legacy Conference was an unstoppable coronation of Black excellence.

​What was it like?

The air crackled with a different kind of electricity – the power of intention. This was a sanctuary built for us, by us. Women (and men) gathered with a shared, unstoppable determination to lead, build, and leave a legacy.
​
Why did I attend?
Every rising woman needs her champions. Mine were two friends – Stella and Christiana – who insisted I be in that room. I was also pulled by the brilliance of several trailblazing women whose brilliance I refused to witness from afar. Sharing the experience with Christiana was transformative, with our shared ITV interview cementing the day’s significance and amplifying our message from the conference floor to the national stage.

As a Black woman, it was life-altering to be surrounded by confidence, powerful stories, and resilience. There was a shared and celebratory recognition of our successes, our struggles, and our collective strength. The unstoppable energy was in motion and alive in this event.

Women of colour are the fastest-growing group of startup founders due to a combination of necessity-driven entrepreneurship, a desire for autonomy in the workplace, and the rise of a supportive ecosystem; however, they continue to face significant systemic barriers, especially in securing capital. 

Drivers of Entrepreneurship Among Women of Colour

• Corporate Pushback: Many women of colour are leaving traditional corporate roles due to pervasive explicit and implicit discrimination, a lack of promotion opportunities, and a desire to escape the "emotional tax" and burnout associated with navigating non-inclusive workplaces.
• Autonomy and Flexibility: Starting their own businesses allows women of colour to lead on their own terms, build inclusive cultures, and achieve a better work-life balance (or "autonomy") that traditional structures often do not provide.
• Filling Market Gaps: Many founders are creating businesses to address unmet needs in the market, often for their own communities, as seen with companies developing products and services (like specialised beauty products) that the mainstream industry has ignored.
• Increased Education: Black women, in particular, are the most educated group in the U.S., a powerful reminder of the high level of talent and expertise they bring to their ventures. ​ ​

Persistent Challenges
Despite their high growth rate, women of colour founders face significant hurdles: 

• Funding Disparities: This remains the primary challenge. Black women receive less than 0.35% of all venture capital funding, and overall, only 2.3% of venture capital goes to all-female founding teams.
• Self-Funding and Undercapitalization: Due to the difficulty in accessing external capital, approximately 61% of Black women self-fund their startups, leading to businesses that are often undercapitalised and less likely to survive past the five-year mark.
• Bias in Investment: During fundraising, female founders are often asked "prevention-oriented" questions focused on risk, while male founders are asked "promotion-oriented" questions about potential gains, creating an unfair dynamic.
• Lack of Networks and Mentorship: Access to strong social and professional capital is a crucial resource that is often less available to women of colour due to historical and systemic exclusion from legacy networks. ​

​The event went on to feature on ITV News: https://lnkd.in/eb4XyyVx
Credits to John Quinton-Barber and Jack Gevertz

Thank you, Lori Hoinkes and the Manchester Central team, for saying yes and partnering with the totally AWESOME Sharon Amesu & Afiya Amesu and supporting their vision 🚀 .​

Rebecca Hartley and the incredible Saving Grace Events team, congratulations, remarkable 🏆 .

And Tash Pennant, thanks for the laughter 🥳 ​