Four exceptional female founders have been announced as winners of the AccelerateHER UK awards in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs. The aspirational businesswomen have been celebrated for their achievements across the fields of Science and MedTech; FinTech, Data Science and Cybersecurity; CleanTech, Climate and Net Zero and Disruptive Innovation in the south of England.
The winner of the Science and MedTech category is Emma Amoscato, Founder and CEO of Smile. Smile is the first mental health app to support patients and carers managing long-term health conditions.
The FinTech, Data Science and Cybersecurity category award went to Katrin Herrling, Co-Founder of Funding Xchange, a company whose technology and analytics solutions are transforming customer conversion and engagement and setting the standard in monitoring of lending portfolios.
Zhixuan Wang, CEO and Founder of Algreen picked up the award for CleanTech, Climate and Net Zero. Algreen has developed biobased polyurethane (PU) and is commercialising various industries such as medical, fashion, packaging, furniture and construction markets.
The Disruptive Innovation winner is Lynsey Cowlishaw, Director of Heroine Media, a company creating hybrid live and digital immersive experiences for heritage and the arts, championing women in history.
Jackie Waring, CEO of AccelerateHER and founder of Investing Women Angels said: “These inspiring female founders are exceptionally talented individuals who are leading in the fields of life sciences, technology and environmentally-focused initiatives. Their innovative business models stood out to our judging panel and we are delighted to announce each of them as hugely well-deserved category winners in our south of England awards.
“AccelerateHER believes there is massive potential for more female founders to scale their companies internationally and we look forward to supporting the journey and growth of today’s winners through our global network of investors and advisors.”
Each winner will receive an investor ready mentoring package from Investing Women Angels and get the opportunity to take part in international market building missions to Europe, North America or the Middle East. Winners will become part of the AccelerateHER network and benefit from priceless connections, industry contacts, potential funders and learning.
Katherine Morgan, Head of High Growth and Entrepreneurs at Barclays, added “Once again the AccelerateHER awards have highlighted the enormous talent we have in the UK and we are in awe of the exceptional ambition demonstrated by the awards winners. Supporting and mentoring female-led businesses is at the very heart of what we do and it has been an honour partnering with and supporting the 2022 awards.”
Now in their seventh year, this is the first time the previously Scotland-only event has extended UK-wide. Winners from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the north of England were announced earlier this week.
The awards are delivered in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs. The Scottish Government and global IT and business consulting firm CGI have been instrumental in supporting the growth of the awards in Scotland; ensuring over 700 female founders to date have accessed tangible expert help to prepare for investment and growth.
The winners were announced this morning at an online ceremony.