The Angel Investment Network will join the judging panel when the Female Founders Pitch Competition returns at SCALE Manchester on 25 November, extending a partnership that began in London.

The Angel Investment Network (AIN) will join the judging panel at the Female Founders Pitch Competition, taking place on 25 November 2026 at Freight Island in Manchester. The competition is run by Women Who Scale as part of the SCALE platform for scaleup founders and investors. This time, Scale Manchester will host the exciting event.

Female and non-binary founders leading businesses headquartered in the North West of England can apply now to pitch. Shortlisted entrants submit a pitch deck, and a select few will present live to investors and an audience of 300 entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem allies. Securing a pitch spot is a significant opportunity at an event like Scale Manchester.

The event addresses a persistent funding gap. For every £1 of equity funding invested in UK businesses, only around 2p reaches all-female founding teams, according to a recent parliamentary report. The establishment of initiatives such as Scale Manchester aims to narrow this gap for female entrepreneurs.

The first SCALE pitch event, held in London in April at the Business Design Centre, put underrepresented founders, including female founders in front of investors and sent the winner away with a package of scaleup support, including coaching from SCALE Ventures, two months of Global Pro access to the AIN platform, a one-to-one pitch review and a feature in the AIN newsletter. Xavier Ballester, Director of AIN’s Brokerage Division, shortlisted the applications, sat on the judging panel and connected the winners with potential backers. He will do the same in Manchester, especially at the upcoming Scale Manchester event.

Access to investors, capital and scaleup networks remains heavily concentrated in London and the South East, which leaves founders elsewhere in the country at a structural disadvantage when they raise growth-stage funding. Manchester is where that imbalance is being challenged most visibly, and it has become one of AIN’s most active UK hubs outside the capital, home to a deep bench of university spinouts, deep-tech founders and angel activity. Notably, Scale Manchester has become a central hub in these efforts.

Xavier Ballester, Director of AIN’s Brokerage Division, said:

“After seeing the incredible standard at SCALE London, expanding our partnership to Manchester is a smart step for AIN. The UK’s venture ecosystem has been concentrated in the South for too long, yet world-class innovation is happening everywhere. We are coming to Manchester specifically to back the exceptional female founders in the North West who are building high-growth, high-traction businesses. If you have clear momentum and a compelling vision, we want to give you the platform and investor network to scale it globally.” Xavier Ballester will play a leading role at Scale Manchester this year.

What founders walk away with

The London winner shows what is at stake. Nina Van Schaick, founder of women’s healthtech company Peripear, won the pitch competition at SCALE London and has since gone on to secure £70,000 through NatWest’s Accelerator programme and an Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award. A single pitch, judged and championed by the right people, opened doors that a cold outreach never would. Next, the same transformative opportunities await at Scale Manchester for founders in the North West.

At SCALE Manchester, Women Who Scale will again put female founders directly in front of angel and venture capital investors. The agenda includes a funding masterclass for women-led businesses and a main-stage panel on the psychological, structural and financial blockers facing underrepresented founders outside the capital. The full judging panel and prize package will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Event details

Event: Female Founders Pitch Competition at SCALE Manchester Date: 25 November 2026 Location: Freight Island, Manchester Format: Live pitch competition, one winner and one runner-up Apply: Pitch at SCALE Manchester Tickets: On sale now from £35. Don’t miss the chance to experience Scale Manchester firsthand!

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