The proportion of women-led businesses applying for small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) funding from 365 Finance has risen to 32% over the past 12 months, marking a significant increase on previous years.
The announcement coincides with the launch of the latest edition of 365 Finance’s #SheLeads campaign, which celebrates the resilience and ambition of female entrepreneurs.
The campaign was recently recognised as highly commended in the ‘Social Media Initiative for Good Award 2025’ category at The Social Media Marketing Awards.
This year’s #SheLeads series features five female business leaders sharing their experiences through candid video interviews, highlighting the opportunities and challenges of growing a business in today’s market.
The campaign also aims to promote equality in SME funding and draws on insights from the Beauhurst – J.P. Morgan: Women-Powered Businesses 2024 report and the Gender Index Report 2025.
The data revealed that women-led or majority female-owned businesses now represent 29.7% of UK high-growth firms, up from 18.3% in 2021.
However, the Gender Index Report 2025 found that female-led businesses still face significant funding barriers, with only 14.2% securing debt finance last year compared to 61.1% of male-led firms.
Despite this, women-powered companies achieved turnover growth of 24.6% in 2024, outpacing male-led peers at 21.6%.
Hannah Hunt, digital marketing manager at 365 Finance, said: “#SheLeads is one of the most meaningful things I work on each year because it gives a platform to women whose stories might otherwise go untold.
“With less than 2% of venture capital funding going to women, visibility and representation are more important than ever. These founders are reshaping industries, challenging expectations and showing what is possible when women are given the space and support to lead.
“Every story we share has the power to inspire the next generation of founders and remind us that there is no single path to building something meaningful.”
Hunt added: “We are proud, at 365 Finance, to be continually supporting and improving our outreach to female entrepreneurs, with the number of women-led businesses applying for our revenue-based finance having increased from 26% in May 2024 to just over 32% during the last 12 months.”
