Young female innovators develop solutions to real-world challenges through NatWest Thrive-backed entrepreneurship programme
An autism-inclusive childrenswear brand, a financial literacy platform helping teenagers spot online scams, and initiatives designed to increase opportunities for women in sport were among the business ideas pitched by eighteen young women from across the UK at this year’s Sisterhood Summer pitch night.
Now in its fifth year, the NatWest Thrive-backed entrepreneurship programme is helping young women turn ideas into ventures that tackle social, environmental and economic challenges. Since launching in 2022, the programme has supported 84 business concepts and ventures, while building the confidence, skills and networks needed to take the next step into entrepreneurship.
Eighteen young women aged 18–21 from across the UK pitched businesses tackling some of the world’s biggest social and environmental challenges, at an event hosted at Canva’s London office last week.
The pitch night marked the culmination of Sisterhood Summer, the two-week entrepreneurship programme for young women delivered by social enterprise Sisterhood in partnership with NatWest Thrive, the bank’s financial education programme.
Through NatWest Thrive, NatWest is helping more young women build confidence, develop entrepreneurial skills and access practical support to turn ideas into action.
Now in its fifth year, the NatWest Thrive backed Sisterhood Summer has helped 84 female entrepreneurs with their social-led business concepts and ventures since its 2022 pilot, with each business addressing one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Since launch, the programme has reached young women across 27 cities, 952 engaged students through in-person workshops and programme activity and delivered 466 hours of entrepreneurial content.
NatWest’s support has helped remove practical barriers to participation, with funding for travel, accommodation, food and digital access scholarships for young people facing cost-of-living pressures. The programme has also brought together more than 200 designers, experts, mentors and NatWest colleagues, alongside 12 business and community partners.
High demand
Demand for the programme continues to grow. Sisterhood Summer received 395 expressions of interest for the 2026 programme, a 58% increase on 2025, with changemakers applying from across the UK and the highest applicant numbers coming from London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester. Of the 88 eligible applicants, 55 applied for a scholarship, underlining the importance of removing cost barriers for young women who want to explore entrepreneurship.
By supporting innovators at an early stage, the programme is helping unlock new ideas and nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs who will power future business growth across the UK. Through NatWest’s support, participants gain access to experienced mentors, business leaders and Accelerator specialists, helping them develop the confidence, skills and networks needed to turn ideas into action. The NatWest Accelerator programme supports entrepreneurs and growing businesses across the UK, providing expertise, connections and coaching to help founders start, scale and grow.
Four of this year’s participants applied after attending Sisterhood events hosted in NatWest Accelerator hubs in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow, illustrating a growing pathway from early inspiration through to business support, networks and future growth opportunities.
The 2026 cohort includes entrepreneurs like Farah Conn, a final-year Fashion Technology student at Heriot-Watt University’s School of Textiles and Design who developed an innovative childrenswear collection, Little Waves, that integrates sensory support, inclusive design and emotional wellbeing directly into everyday clothing for children with autism.
Changemakers from the 2025 cohort started 18 new businesses addressing seven key UN Sustainable Development Goals. Following Sisterhood Summer, founders continue to receive support through the programme’s digital accelerator and alumni network, helping them continue their entrepreneurial journey beyond the pitch night.
Emily Fallon, director, NatWest Accelerator and mentor on the Sisterhood Summer programme said: “The gender start-up gap is often talked about as an investment problem. But it starts much earlier than that, in classrooms, colleges, confidence, and in who young women see building businesses.
“Sisterhood Summer proves that magic can happen when you bring incredible women together, with experienced female founders sharing real-world advice, NatWest leaders opening up about overcoming imposter syndrome, and our Accelerator team delivering pitch coaching based on the same techniques used with some of the UK’s fastest-growing start-ups.
“Since NatWest began supporting Sisterhood Summer, 84 social-led businesses have been started or developed through the programme, showing what can happen when young women are backed from the very first idea. NatWest is proud to help support and inspire the next generation of founders.”
Rebecca Thomson, co-founder, Sisterhood, said: “We started Sisterhood as students the same age as the changemakers, with an idea and each other. Every young woman on that stage has walked the same path in two weeks that took us years, from idea to plan to pitch, surrounded by a sisterhood that believes in her.”
Reflecting on this year’s cohort, Rachita Saraogi, co-founder, mentions: “This year’s changemakers are already building businesses that respond to social and environmental challenges, and that is how you change who gets to be a founder in this country.”
Sisterhood Summer is part of a wider ambition, backed by NatWest, to scale Sisterhood’s support for young women across the UK: from digital content launching into schools and youth clubs through NatWest Thrive, to a co-created schools kit arriving in September 2026 and plans to bring the programme to Scotland in 2027. The aim is to ensure more young women with business ideas can access support when they need it, wherever they are.
NatWest Thrive provides a route to take entrepreneurial learning beyond a single two-week programme and into classrooms, youth clubs and communities across the UK.
Digital content co-created with Sisterhood launches into schools and youth clubs across the UK in 2026 through NatWest Thrive, taking entrepreneurial learning to young women who could never attend a two-week London programme.