We want women-led businesses to beat the odds, even when they’re stacked against them.
The number of female-founded businesses has more than doubled since 2018 and yet, just 1.8% of equity investment is going to all-female teams. Whilst investment isn’t for everyone, this shows how inequitable the UK’s business ecosystem still is.
The Rose Review, published in 2019 and updated in 2023, found that the UK economy could be boosted by up to £250 billion if women were to start and scale businesses at the same rate as men.
HELPING YOU SCALE
THE 51% CLUB AIMS TO PLAY ITS PART IN MAKING THE UK THE BEST PLACE FOR FEMALE FOUNDERS TO THRIVE
The 51% Club is the home for ambitious female founders who are ready to scale their businesses and unlock their full potential.
With a thriving community of over 800 members (and growing daily) across the West Midlands, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire, we’re building a national movement to empower women entrepreneurs and create a more equitable ecosystem.
Using the power of community, we educate, inspire, and amplify the success of women across all industries. We aim to tip the balance and ensure that women-led ventures scale beyond their wildest dreams.
The 51% Club is built on three core pillars, providing a foundation for our members’ success. From expert-led workshops and our signature 12-week growth programme to the groundbreaking Fortuna Fellowship, offering access to £2 million in investment, we provide the resources and connections our members need to thrive.
EDUCATION
Weekly masterclasses and workshops, quarterly strategy planning days, our annual IGNITE conference, the transformative 12-week Female Founder Growth Programme, and the first-of-its-kind Fortuna Fellowship.
COMMUNITY
Harnessing the power of peer support through regular networking events, collaborative co-working days, vibrant WhatsApp and Slack communities, and our soon-to-launch mentor match-making scheme.
OPPORTUNITY
Through our thriving ecosystem of partners we leverage our investor network to put money on the table for founders and forge strategic partnerships to facilitate tailored initiatives that really accelerate growth.
MEET OUR FOUNDER
Tara Attfield-Tomes sits at the heart of the West Midlands ecosystem, as an advisor and consultant in female entrepreneurship. She has a passion for mobilising female founders to drive change and generate wealth for women.
A founder herself, she runs multi-award-winning EAST VILLAGE., a PR agency for female-serving brands that supports early stage to Series A ventures with their founder profiling, media positioning, and market growth.
Tara is also co-chair of The Lifted Project, a Treasury-backed initiative to increase the flow of capital to female founders. She also founded and chairs TechWM’s Women in Tech Group, and is an investment mentor for Creative UK.
The 51% Club is powered by award-winning PR agency, EAST VILLAGE., which has spent over 12 years supporting underestimated and underserved founders.
An agency at the heart of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, EAST VILLAGE. works with leading female-led businesses and is tapped into investor networks, growth accelerators, and organisations dedicated to helping businesses scale.
Over the past decade, the agency has established itself as the leading PR firm helping female-serving brands to stand out, connect deeply, and sell more.
Our vision is expansive, mirroring the ambitions of the founders that we serve. We aim to create a national network of interconnected communities, each a vibrant hub of support and opportunity for female entrepreneurs. By fostering these local ecosystems, we can empower women to generate wealth, fuelling their individual success and contributing to the UK’s overall economic prosperity.