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Female founders lead the way as £75 million lent to East Midlands start ups

Press release 23 October 2025

  • £75 million of Start Up Loans funded in the East Midlands since the Start Up Loans programme’s launch in 2012
  • 40% of the total volume of loans has been provided to female entrepreneurs 
  • 3,000 Start Up Loans totaling more than £28 million have been made to women-built businesses

Female founders from the East Midlands are paving the way when it comes to securing start up loans, according to the latest figures from the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme, released today.

Since its launch in 2012, the Start Up Loans programme has backed entrepreneurs from across the East Midlands with £75m of funding. Of that, 3,000 loans totaling more than £28m - 40% of the total - have supported female business owners.

From equestrian training services to physiotherapists, lingerie for cancer survivors to SEND support - alongside many more high street stores and services - the region’s female founders are bringing their business visions to life.

Kay Lloyd, founder of The Opportunity Club in Leicestershire, offers day and evening support group sessions for young adults with additional mental health needs, ASD, ADHD, and mild to moderate learning disabilities. The Opportunity Club incorporates fun as well as learning into the sessions to promote working towards better life skills and independence. Kay received a £15,000 Start Up Loan earlier in 2025 to support her business.

Kay said: 

Being able to get the right support for my business from the get-go has been so valuable. Securing funding while trying to stay flexible with my business model could have been a challenge, but the Start Up Loans team and their business support partners made the whole process straightforward. The funding the Opportunity Club received has helped us start off on the right foot, and I’ve felt supported the whole way through.

Louise McCoy, Managing Director, Start Up Loans Products at the British Business Bank, said: 

The British Business Bank is committed to supporting entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups across the UK. These figures demonstrate how, with the backing of the Start Up Loans programme, female founders from the East Midlands are making their dreams a reality and building their own firms from scratch.

Being able to support the region’s entrepreneurs with £75 million of Start Up Loans since 2012 demonstrates just how much ambition and potential the East Midlands has. We look forward to helping many more who might be thinking about starting their own business.

As well as supporting an above-average number of female founders*, the East Midlands is also supporting young entrepreneurs. Since the programme started, 16% of borrowers were aged 18-24, and within this group 38% were not in education, employment or training (NEET). The average across the UK is 13%. 

Daniel Carrico, Executive Director at First Enterprise, a Start Up Loans programme business support partner, commented: 

First Enterprise is dedicated to helping reach founders who have a passion and a dream, but lack the funds needed to make it happen. We’ve seen firsthand how access to finance, mentoring, and guidance can empower individuals, especially for those who have been historically underrepresented or excluded from traditional funding routes.

The £75m is a brilliant milestone, but so too is the £28m delivered to female founders in the region. This achievement highlights the region’s entrepreneurial spirit and reinforces our commitment to supporting inclusive, sustainable growth across every community we serve.

Since its inception, the Start Up Loans programme has delivered more than 125,000 loans to business owners across the UK, amounting to more than £1.3bn of funding.

ENDS

*In 2024, 14 per cent of SME employers were women-led. (Source: Longitudinal Small Business Survey: SME Employers (businesses with 1 to 249 employees) – UK, 2023))

Further Information

If you are a journalist and have a media enquiry, please contact mediaenquiries@british-business-bank.co.uk.

Notes to editors

The Start Up Loans programme provides personal loans for business purposes of up to £25,000 at a fixed interest rate per annum and offers free dedicated mentoring and support to each business.

The primary aim of the Start Up Loans programme is to ensure that viable start-ups and early-stage businesses have access to the finance and support they need in order to thrive. A network of Business Support Partner organisations supports applicants in all regions and industries throughout the UK. The Start Up Loans programme is not designed to generate a commercial profit. Capital payments together with the interest are recycled to help meet increasing demands for finance.

Free guides on a range of subjects related to starting a business are available on the Start Up Loans website. You can find recent media press releases here.

The funding for the Start Up Loans programme is provided by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The Start Up Loans programme is operated by The Start-Up Loans Company, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, registration number 08117656, registered office at Steel City House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 2GQ. The Start-Up Loans Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of British Business Bank plc which is a development bank wholly owned by HM Government. British Business Bank plc and its subsidiaries are not banking institutions and do not operate as such. With the exception of BBB Investment Services Limited they are not authorised or regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority or the Financial Conduct Authority. BBB Investment Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A complete legal structure chart for the group can be found at british-business-bank.co.uk.

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