Pathways 1 SA : Pathways – New Cohort team picture All images © Stewart Attwood Photography 2024.
– Entrepreneurial Scotland, Dechomai, Ooni, Archangels, Par Equity, and the University of Glasgow have joined the latest Pathways Pledge cohort, with the four cohorts totalling 26 organisations since the initiative was set up last year
– Pathways Forward was launched in September 2023 following the publication of the Scottish Government-commissioned Pathways: A New Approach For Women in Entrepreneurship report
– The Stewart Report also led to the launch of The Scottish Government’s Pathways Pre-Start Fund in 2023 and 2024, the Entrepreneurial Education Pathways Fund in 2024 totalling over £3 million and being awarded to 39 different projects across Scotland to date.
Ana Stewart-led action group Pathways Forward is set for its Pathways Pledge Annual Review, being held later today at Edinburgh Futures Institute. The annual review takes place as Pathways Forward announces its 4th cohort of Pledge partners – Entrepreneurial Scotland, Dechomai, Ooni, Archangels, Par Equity, and the University of Glasgow have joined the latest cohort, with the four cohorts to date totalling 26 organisations since the initiative was set up last year.
Ana Stewart, Founder of Pathways Forward, said: “The momentum around Pathways Pledge over the last year has been incredible, and it will be fantastic to mark this at our annual review event in Edinburgh today. This will be the first time we have brought together all our cohorts to share knowledge, collaborate, and stimulate new ways to achieve a bigger, collective impact. We’re also encouraged that we have so many future Pledge partners waiting in the wings, so we definitely plan to build on this foundation in the year ahead.”
The 4th cohort’s individual pledges are aimed to complement existing internal policies, and range from education sessions highlighting types of family leave available to employees, increasing the number of female participants in current programmes, offering feedback calls with female CEOs and CTOs of potential investee companies, and a series of ‘office hours’ sessions with a focus on female founders. The pledges are actionable and trackable, with shared and published results.
Later this month, Pathways Forward will be publishing the results from the 1st cohort after their first year of commitment to Pathways Pledge.
Niki McKenzie, Joint Managing Director at Archangels, said: “We are proud to reaffirm our commitment to a growing community of Scottish-based businesses that are breaking down barriers within the ecosystem for female entrepreneurs. We are seeing increasing numbers of female led businesses come forward for investment but there is more to do, and by signing the Pathways Pledge, we are taking proactive measures to ensure greater support for talented and entrepreneurial women to grow their businesses.”
The Pledge partners in the first three cohorts are AccelerateHER, CivTech, CodeBase, Deloitte, Eos Advisory, Scottish EDGE, Scottish National Investment Bank, Converge, The Open University in Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, SIS Ventures, Social Investment Scotland, South of Scotland Enterprise, the University of Strathclyde, FDM Group, Elevator, Equity Gap, EY, and the Smart Things Accelerator Centre (STAC).
Pathways Forward was launched in September 2023 following the publication of the Scottish Government-commissioned Pathways: A New Approach For Women in Entrepreneurship report. In February, an Advisory Group was appointed to work alongside Pathways Forward’s chair Ana Stewart to amplify and progress the recommendations out-lined in the Stewart Report.
The Stewart Report also led to the launch of The Scottish Government’s Pathways Pre-Start Fund in 2023 and 2024, the Entrepreneurial Education Pathways Fund in 2024 totalling over £3 million and being awarded to 39 different projects across Scotland to date.
