UK Female Founders Reveal That Human Connection Matters Most In Business

Entrepreneurship is often looked at in terms of revenue and investment rounds. Instead, the Rise Report, commissioned by Female Founders Rise in partnership with Barclays, places relationships as the most important aspect of women’s business journeys.

A total of 78% of the survey respondents say human connection is the most important thing in their entrepreneurial journey. Peer networks rank highest as a source of support at 39%. Mentorship and coaching follow at 32%. Many founders describe progress as something built through shared experience rather than in isolation.

Emmie Faust, Founder at Female Founders Rise and co author of the report, says: “Being an entrepreneur is a unique experience and without the right mentors or a peer network it can be deeply isolating. At Female Founders Rise, we witness the power of bringing women together at a similar stage of growth, facing similar challenges and the transformation that follows.”

She continues: “The support, the opening of doors and the willingness to share critical learnings have potential to make a difference to whether a business survives or not. As an exited founder myself, I could save someone £100,000 by sharing some of the mistakes I made along the way. Just think about the impact this could have at scale.”

There is also a personal cost when that network is missing. Around one in seven founders, 14%, identify loneliness and isolation as their biggest obstacle. More than a quarter, 27%, report mental health pressures such as burnout and self doubt. These responses appear across both small and larger businesses.

Is Funding The Real Fault Line?

Access to finance appears again and again in the research. Nearly half of respondents, 45%, say funding issues are their primary obstacle. Many describe frustration with both public and private systems.

Of those who expressed a view, 78% report negative sentiment towards public funding such as grants, describing processes as bureaucratic and time consuming. Almost a third, 30%, say public funding applications are overly complex. One in 10 cite negative investor behaviour, including dismissive attitudes, ghosting and power imbalances.

Private finance receives a similar response. A total of 73% express negative views of business loans, venture capital and angel investment. These experiences connect with findings from the Women and Equalities Committee in 2025 that less than 2% of venture capital goes to fully female founded teams, even though research shows female led businesses deliver better investment returns.

Separate research estimates that the UK could unlock up to £310 billion in economic growth if women started and scaled businesses at the same rate as men. The Rise Report frames that sum as lost potential tied to structural barriers rather than lack of ambition.

Joanna Jensen, co author of the report, Entrepreneur and Chair of the EIS Association, says: “I often say I can share in six minutes what took me six years to learn and that kind of knowledge sharing can change the trajectory of a business. Shared experience shortens learning curves and unlocks growth. If we want more successful founders, the entire start up ecosystem has a responsibility to open more doors to expertise much faster.”

What Would Meaningful Change Look Like?

The report calls on policymakers, investors and the wider business community to respond to what founders have shared. It places emphasis on practical support, access to networks and fairer funding processes.

Sam White, Head of SME Business Banking at Barclays, says: “More than 2,000 women have shared their honest experiences of starting and growing a business in the UK and we must listen to what they’ve told us. One message comes through loud and clear – when women are backed with the right networks, support and opportunities, their businesses don’t just survive – they thrive.”

She adds: “Confidence fuels action, and action builds firms that contribute to local communities and the wider UK economy. The potential is huge and we will get closer to realising it if we ensure women feel supported, connected and empowered to grow their businesses.”

2,225 UK based female founders who together generate £1 billion in annual turnover were surveyed here. Researchers collected 436,000 words of qualitative data, which made this one of the largest grassroots studies of its kind.