Monday 21st November 2022, 5:00pm
Female-led business growth network, AccelerateHER, embarks on an overseas trade mission with previous AccelerateHER Awards winners, described as representing companies with global scale-up potential and in the process of raising external investment, and will include Kate Cameron (Cytochroma) and Ishani Malhotra (Carcinotech), both based at Roslin Innovation Centre.
A group of Scottish-based female company founders will be heading west to California later this month to attend a five-day, market-building trade mission.
Supported by the Scottish Government, the event takes place from 28 November to 2 December and is led by AccelerateHER, working in partnership with Gwen Edwards of US-based Golden Seeds, an angel investor group which backs high-potential, women-led businesses.
This will be the first in-person AccelerateHER trade mission since the pandemic where the participating founders will showcase their companies and meet with globally-focused venture capitalists, angel investors and industry leaders from Silicon Valley and other regions of the US. The event provides a springboard to growth by sharing current market information and business insights and opens doors to new connections through the global AccelerateHER network.
The six participating female business founders represent companies with global scale-up potential, which are all in the process of raising external investment. They include former AccelerateHER Awards winners Kate Cameron (Cytochroma); Ishani Malhotra (Carcinotech); Lynne Darcey Quigley (Know-it Global); Danae Shell (Valla); and Rebecca Goss (X-GENIX). Also attending are Fiona Gillies and Christine Hartland, founders of SMASH.
“After running virtual trade missions over the last two years, we’re so pleased to be staging this latest market-building expedition on US soil once again. The event, our 10th international trade mission, will deliver valuable insights for the participating female founders and give them direct access to some of the leading figures from the US tech sector and global investment community.
We’re grateful to Gwen Edwards in helping deliver this latest trade mission to California, which remains a key centre for global technology innovation. We’d also like to acknowledge the great support of the Scottish Government, which is a strong endorsement of the quality of female founders and the innovative businesses coming through the AccelerateHER programme.”
“We’re delighted to be working with AccelerateHER and its sister company Investing Women Angels, organisations which share our commitment towards helping female business founders.
The innovation and commercial-focus of the Scottish-based, female-led companies that we have seen emerging from their network is impressive and inspirational. We look forward to getting better acquainted with the six companies attending this forthcoming mission.”
The five-day programme includes a key investors event hosted by Jaclyn Mason, Regional Director for Silicon Valley & Northwest US at the UK Government Department for International Trade.
It will feature a session with former Apple and Microsoft adviser Ron Weissman, who is the current Vice Chair of the US’s Angel Capital Association and Chair of the Software Industry Group at Band of Angels. Other speakers include Cal Henderson, the co-founder and CTO of Slack; Michele Colucci, Founder and Managing Partner of DigitalDx Ventures; Duncan Davidson, General Partner and Co-Founder of Bullpen Capital; and Dr Faz Bashi, the Angel Capital Association’s Chair of Life Sciences.
Source: AccelerateHER UK
Roslin Innovation Centre
The University of Edinburgh
Easter Bush Campus
Midlothian EH25 9RG
