Applications open for Europe’s largest ever mentoring event for women founders

As any female founder will tell you – accessing (and being taken seriously by) potential investors can be very difficult. Female-led startups account for only a tiny fraction of the UK’s venture capital (VC) investment, and this sector can be rife with sexism and bias – whether that’s unconscious or otherwise.

To help address this, VC firm Playfair Capital and accelerators Tech Nation and Google for Startups started Female Founder Office Hours (FFOH), a groundbreaking event that removes the barriers to access and lets female founders easily get advice and funding sources.

Now onto its sixth edition, the latest FFOH is set to be the biggest yet, with more than 120 VC funds ready to network with over 300 female founders.

Female Founder Office Hours removes barriers to entry and lets female founders easily access advice and funding sources

What is Female Founder Office Hours?

Female Founder Office Hours (FFOH) started in 2019 and runs three times a year, each edition giving female founders the chance to remotely meet VC funds and potential mentors that could help them grow their business.

The sixth edition will take place on 24 November 2021 and applications are open now (see below for how to apply).

Each accepted founder will get the chance to meet four investors during one hour of remote office hours to discuss their tech business idea, ask for advice, pitch for investment or find a mentor.

The event uses AI matching technology to ensure that founders are paired with the right investors, increasing the chance of funding being secured.

How can I apply for Female Founder Office Hours?

Eligible female founders can apply for FFOH now using the registration form.

To be considered, female founders must:

• Be based in Europe
• Run a tech company
• Have a company at the pre-Series A funding stage

How has Female Founder Office Hours previously helped female entrepreneurs?

The previous five editions of FFOH have produced a total of 3,000 individual mentoring sessions with 680 female founders and 150 investors taking part.

Overall, 27% of founders have gone to raise funding after taking part in an FFOH event, raising a total of £184m in disclosed funding.

Some of the previous success stories include automated delivery insurance provider Anansi, cloud-based document processing solution Freyda, and zero-emission parcel delivery company Hived.