Women Leading Tech & Innovation: Breaking Barriers and Paving the Way

Jess manages NatWest’s Entrepreneur Accelerator in Manchester, a funded programme that empowers UK entrepreneurs to grow their business to the next level. Jess has supported a number of founders through their investment journey, from supporting them to develop their pitch decks to a high standard to connecting them with key partners within the eco-system. As an advocate for inclusive entrepreneurship, Jess is involved with a number of initiatives designed to build the confidence of diverse founders to drive their business forward, including the TiE UK North Women’s Advisory Board and more recently, Meta’s She Means Business programme.

Niamh Allen is the Managing Director of Sustainable Smart Technologies, a technology solutions company specialising in smart buildings. She leads the overall business strategy and operations, focusing on driving growth and market expansion. Formerly Sales & Marketing Director, Niamh has a proven track record of driving initiatives that deliver impactful business results. She prioritises innovation and strategic leadership and is passionate about advancing women in tech. Niamh is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of female entrepreneurs by sharing her experiences and championing their success in the tech industry.

Motivated by a strong desire to be part of the solution to solving climate change, Sophie co-founded Carbon Neutral Fuels in 2022. She has a background in chemistry, having worked at the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory in the Insight and Strategy Team, and experience in sustainability consulting with betternotstop. Sophie believes in the power of young people to create positive change and is a proud member of the Young Energy Professionals Steering Committee and former member of the Nuclear Institute’s Net Zero Needs Nuclear team.

Louise Chapman heads up the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II team at Praetura Ventures and is responsible for deploying capital into backable North West businesses, such as The Padel Club and Cytix. A senior investor, Louise has worked on some of Praetura’s biggest deals and continues to speak at numerous regional events aimed at raising awareness of the many investment opportunities available to founders, including NPIF II funding from the British Business Bank. In addition, Louise continues to take part in various events aimed at supporting female founders and promoting entrepreneurship. Praetura Ventures is an award-winning focused VC, born-and-bred in the North of England. Praised for its early backing of northern success stories such as Peak, Modern Milkman and Culture Shift, the Manchester-based VC has now become known for its ‘more than money’ approach to supporting early-stage founders post investment.

Nicola has a wealth of experience in developing processes and procedures for new products, having led a large Business Design team in a major telecomms company. With customer experience at the heart of everything she does, she has a passion for ensuring everything works in the simplest way to best support a customer’s needs. Nicola started her career in banking, however quickly realised her natural inclination towards how things work and removing inefficiencies within processes which has been put into action during the build of Powdr. Nicola has a degree in Mathematics from Nottingham University.