£1m Fund to Help Female Entrepreneurs Benefit from Superfast Broadband

The Government’s Equalities Office has setup a new £1m Challenge Fund alongside the national Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme, which will be used to help female entrepreneurs get the most out superfast broadband.

At present the BDUK scheme is helping to make fixed line superfast broadband connectivity available to 95% of the United Kingdom by 2017, although apparently only the 40 related local authority broadband projects in England will be invited to submit bids to the £1m challenge fund this May 2014.

The investment through successful bids will then be used to help develop local projects that “support women-led businesses and potential women entrepreneurs in their areas, to take advantage of superfast broadband to transform the way they do business or to set up new businesses from home“.

Nicky Morgan, Minister for Women, said:

“There are thousands of women running some amazing small businesses all over the UK but they still make up just a fifth of all small businesses. As part of our long-term economic plan for Britain we are determined to do everything we can to support women to start-up businesses and create more jobs and opportunities for hardworking people.

This fund will give women the practical help needed to get their businesses on-line and take advantage of superfast broadband. This will include online mentors, business clubs and training courses so that women all over the county can benefit from the kinds of help Campus for Mums is giving.”

The Government claims that Women-led businesses now represent 20% of all SMEs in the UK, which is up sharply from 12% in 2010 and they are determined to help ensure women “take advantage of the best broadband infrastructure in Europe” (we note the word “superfast” is missing from that line).

The first local support projects are expected to be launched in September 2014.