Fortuna Fellowship – The 51 Percent Club

We’ve partnered with venture capital firm, Midven, to launch a groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind initiative for female founders.

The Fortuna Fellowship sees up to five women embark on an exciting 12-month accelerator, with the chance of securing a share of £2 million investment*.

We want to find the next high-growth female-led businesses and provide them with the support, resource, and investment they need to really smash their business goals!

** Please note that applications have now closed **

Applications are being reviewed by an expert panel, with second round interviews taking place between 24 February – 14 March 2025. The final applicants will be chosen and contacted by 17 March, with the accelerator starting w/c 31 March.

If you have any questions about the application process, please get in touch.

The Fortuna Fellowship is open to:

Female-founded or female-led businesses
Based in the West Midlands Combined Authority area (Birmingham, Black Country, and Coventry)
Businesses in the early stages of development with a strong potential for growth, able to achieve £100k of revenue before the end of the programme
Founders with an innovative solution, scalable business model, a compelling equity story, and some level of traction

Each founder will be paired with a high-level mentor, have access to the investment team with weekly ‘office hours’, and take part in workshops with leading experts each month. You’ll also come together with your fellow founders for co-working and an innovation residential.

If that wasn’t enough, a central advisory board will provide the cohort with guidance from industry leaders in areas such as product testing, manufacturing, go-to-market strategy, exporting, and investment.

This is a project, delivered by The 51% Club and Midven, in partnership with West Midlands Combined Authority’s ‘West Midlands Co-Investment Fund’.

Fortuna Fellowship is for:

Female-led ventures: Your business must be founded and led by someone who identifies as female, and based in the West Midlands Combined Authority area (Birmingham, Black Country, and Coventry)
Scalable businesses: Your company could be in the early stages of development, typically with MVP or proof of concept, or already established and ready for growth
Strong propositions: Whether a product or service, your business must have an “onlyness” that provides global appeal
High-growth potential: Your scale-up should demonstrate a strong potential for rapid growth, with the ability to achieve £100k of revenue before the end of the programme, which will be a strict requirement to qualify for investment.
Businesses with a strong team: Your founding team should have the necessary skills and experience to successfully execute the business plan

*Investment is not guaranteed and will be subject to strict terms and conditions and due diligence by investors.