By Sarah Dale
17 August 2026
FFUK holds second successful Founder Live event at Teesside University.
Born in Teesside and branching out across the UK, Female Founder UK is not just another networking group.
It is a movement.
And women are loving it!
At the second FFUK Founder Live event, held at partner venue Teesside University’s The Curve, female founders and leaders heard a compelling argument on the power of storytelling, visibility and authenticity from media and communications partner SASS media directors Sarah Dale and Sarah Walker, before watching an educational and empowering presentation by Max Freer, founder and CEO of Female Founder UK.
The event also included an open and honest fireside chat between Laura Hall, founder of The LH Group, which runs the Truffled Hog Deli & Kitchen in Stokesley and In the Wild at Danby Lodge and Sutton Bank, and journalist Sarah Dale. During the interview, Laura’s story resonated with the audience as she talked about the challenges behind the glossy exterior of beautifully curated content of sumptuous dishes and stunning venues.
Following the interview, journalist Sarah Walker hosted a powerful roundtable discussion inviting the women around the table to talk about their own experiences as female founders. This ranged from misogyny experienced in the workplace to sharing vulnerability, from barriers affecting female founders – national funding gap, investment bias, under-representation, gendered expectations, visibility challenges, balancing business growth with caring responsibilities, confidence and limiting beliefs – to what is needed for female founders going forward.
Max Freer said: “Female Founder UK is about building an ecosystem that helps women to connect, collaborate and create economic impact together.
“Talent is everywhere in the Tees Valley, but opportunity isn’t. Unlocking female entrepreneurial talent is one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time. We help women to build sustainable businesses and careers, redefining how they connect, lead and succeed together.
“Only 2% of UK equity investment is allocated to female founders – just 2%! That is £310bn of missed revenue to the UK economy from female founders. But women have influence, more so than any other time. We make up 51% of the population, 58% of graduates, 90% contribution to consumer spend, and 60% projected to control the UK’s total wealth by the end of the decade. Founder visibility has become a major growth strategy.”
Female Founder UK has created a supportive community where women can talk openly about money, challenges and success. During the roundtable discussion, independent financial adviser Christine Tarran, founder of Tarran & Co, talked about the importance for female founders of a healthy cashflow and growing – and ringfencing – a pension pot. The group also talked openly about their individual barriers to sharing stories publicly, which ranged from self-confidence issues to not wanting to appear vulnerable to neurodiversity.
Laura Hall, who swapped a career in financial services, technology and insurance for the hospitality industry, opened The Truffled Hog in February 2020, days before the Covid pandemic forced a national lockdown.
“I never graduated, so being invited to give a fireside interview at Teesside University yesterday for Female Founder UK felt quite surreal,” said Laura.
“What Max has started with Female Founder UK isn’t an event or a networking group, it’s a movement. An undercurrent running through Teesside, and I think we’d all agree it’s exactly what we needed. The job now is ours, to keep the momentum, keep bringing more people into it and keep sharing with each other. This isn’t a clique, which I think is the bit we all secretly detest about networking. Everyone is welcome, no matter what stage you’re at and there are ALWAYS new faces.
“On the way out a few of us got talking about being more vulnerable, sharing more, being honest while we’re still in the trenches, not just once we’re out the other side with the money and the time for a blow-dry. And I would love to continue this conversation and we would love our venues to be another home for Female Founder UK.”
Female Founder UK was never created to become another networking organisation, membership club or business support platform. It was created to solve a much bigger problem.
“We are building more than a business,” added Max.
“For decades, women have built remarkable businesses across Britain, yet there has never been a single brand that truly represents them. There are organisations that support founders. There are events that bring founders together. There are networks that facilitate introductions. But there has never been a recognised identity that women building businesses are proud to belong to. Female Founder UK was trademarked and created to change that.
“We are building Britain’s identity brand for female founders. A brand that represents ambition without apology. Success without compromise. Recognition without exclusivity. A brand that celebrates the women building businesses that shape our economy, strengthen our communities and inspire future generations.”
For more information about Female Founder UK, visit www.femalefounderuk.co.uk
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