AccelerateHER and Scottish Enterprise debuting online training initiative for female founders

Supporting the growing number of female business-founders in Scotland is the aim of a new online training initiative launched by AccelerateHER and Scottish Enterprise.

AccelerateHER – whose focus is helping women entrepreneurs to scale their companies, access investment, and inspire others – said it will now deliver its series of finance workshops as pre-recorded sessions, via the Thinkific software platform, meaning they can be accessed any time.

The first workshop series, named Understanding your Accounts, is described as building greater awareness of profit and loss, balance sheets, and cashflow forecasting, while the second focuses on raising equity funding for high-growth businesses and is led by Evelyn Simpson, an entrepreneur and MD of AccelerateHER sister company Investing Women Angels.

The online offering is funded by Scottish Enterprise, and it is hoped that it will enable more women who have started their own business, especially those in more remote locations, to access AccelerateHER workshops, which were previously delivered live.

AccelerateHER chief operating officer Elizabeth Pirrie said: “By delivering our programme online through the Thinkific platform, we will not only reach greater numbers, but also provide a more flexible approach as participants can engage and learn in a manner that suits them.

“The new online offering will also include additional resources from associated AccelerateHER programmes, which will further support ambitious female founders in their efforts to build successful and sustainable businesses.”

Marjory Sweeney, project manager at Scottish Enterprise, said the organisation “is committed to supporting gender equality in business and, with this initiative, we can help more female founders to succeed by encouraging women to start their businesses and advising them on how to maximise growth”.

AccelerateHER's Elizabeth Pirrie says delivering the programme online will reach a higher number of female founders and provide a more flexible approach. Picture: contributed.

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