Tide, the UK’s leading business management platform, today announces it has reached 200,000 female-led businesses on its platform - representing 25% of its total UK membership - a milestone it set itself to reach by the end of 2027. To mark the moment and double down on its commitment to female founders, Tide is returning as headline partner of the 2026 Tide everywoman Entrepreneur Awards, extending a programme it has championed since last year. 

The milestone is the result of sustained, deliberate investment in female entrepreneurship. Through its Women in Business programme, Tide has provided practical tips, expert insights, masterclasses and events specifically designed to help female founders start, scale and succeed. That programme, combined with Tide's broader platform offer - spanning business accounts, invoicing, accounting and beyond - has made it the destination of choice for women building businesses in the UK. Tide’s female-led membership figure of 25% significantly outpaces the national picture, with government data showing that women-led businesses account for around 14% of UK SME employers.

The everywoman Entrepreneur Awards have been celebrating extraordinary female founders since 2003. Born from a mission to celebrate women entrepreneurs and open doors to funding, growth opportunities and valuable connections, past finalists and winners have used the recognition as a launchpad to raise their profile and secure significant commercial deals. 

This year's awards sit at the heart of AllBright everywoman's new Female Founder Collective, a year-long programme designed to support founders at every stage and tackle the structural barriers still holding too many back. Through the Collective, female founders will have access to high-impact events, funding opportunities, expert insight and powerful networks. 

At the Awards ceremony in December, Tide will award a £10,000 grant to one exceptional female-founded SME, selected by the judging panel from the finalists. 

The Female Founder Collective programme includes the inaugural AllBright everywoman Entrepreneurs Growth Forum in June, a one-day event designed to equip female founders at all stages with the insights and connections needed to help them scale. The Forum, supported by Tide, will bring together 100 female founders for panels and practical workshops covering key areas of running and scaling a business.

Tide will also support this year’s AllBright everywoman Pitch Day in September, in which female founders will pitch to a panel of investors and industry experts for a prize to fuel their next stage of growth. Entrepreneurs will also benefit from practical advice to help them sharpen their pitch and build confidence.

This support for female founders matters more than ever, as the groundbreaking everywoman Female Business Owners Index, in partnership with Tide, found that over half of female business owners (54%) were working longer hours and nearly one in four (23%) taking on a second job to keep their venture alive. 

One in three (28%) of the Index’s respondents said limited access to finance (e.g. loans or investment capital) was a barrier to business growth, while more than one in three (36%) wanted grants and tax relief to scale. A quarter (25%) said low self-confidence had held them back, while nearly as many (23%) cited gaps in operational or financial knowledge[1]. 

George Schmidt, CEO of Tide UK/Europe, said: “When we set ourselves the ambition of supporting 200,000 female-led businesses by the end of 2027, we knew it needed to be far more than a symbolic target. Reaching that milestone nearly two years early is a reflection of the incredible growth of female entrepreneurship across the UK and our commitment to backing founders with practical support that genuinely helps them succeed.

“At Tide, we want to be the home of female entrepreneurship in the UK - not just by providing business accounts, but by creating opportunities, connections and visibility for women building ambitious businesses.

“That’s why renewing our partnership with AllBright everywoman matters so much. Through the Female Founder Collective, the Entrepreneur Awards, Pitch Day and Growth Forum, we want to help even more founders access the networks, confidence and support they need to scale.”

Nicole Goodwin and Sophie Catto, Joint Managing Directors of AllBright everywoman, said: “Female founders are some of the most creative and resilient entrepreneurs in the UK yet too often they're building brilliant businesses without the backing they deserve. The Female Founder Collective is our answer to that, providing access to new connections and opportunities via our Entrepreneurs Growth Forum and Pitch Day, while celebrating incredible trailblazers at the Entrepreneur Awards. Tide's commitment to supporting female-led businesses via this programme is what makes it possible to deliver sustained, practical support to founders at every stage.”