
Supporting Female Entrepreneurs
Providing the right solutions to help female-led businesses to scale.
HSBC research* has shown that female entrepreneurs receive five percent less funding than male entrepreneurs, globally. The biggest barriers to female entrepreneurs accessing capital are:
- Access to networks - a lack of peers and mentors is limiting female entrepreneurs in terms of growth
- Role models - female entrepreneurs are more likely to be inspired to start their business by other women in their industry or female role models
- Overcoming bias of investment panels
- Lack of investment knowledge - female founders want more transparent investor criteria and constructive feedback
At HSBC we are committed to helping female entrepreneurs overcome these barriers. Read on for more information about how we are doing this.
Insights and inspiration from like-minded female entrepreneurs

Raising investment can seem difficult. But, according to successful entrepreneur Crystal Pang, the key is to make the most of every opportunity.

When consultant Jasmine Crowe-Houston wanted to fight hunger in America she approached it differently.

An entrepreneur wears many different hats when launching and growing a business. But for Freddie Harrel, Founder and CEO of RadSwan, an important part of building your own company is not letting any one role define you.

Pitching your business to investors can be an incredibly nerve-wracking process. Hear from an expert on how you can create a standout pitch and improve your chance of success.

Our recent research has shown that female entrepreneurs receive 5% less funding than male entrepreneurs, globally. In a bid to try to rectify this discrepancy, we seek guidance from some standout female founders.

Today, more than 400 million women are entrepreneurs or business operators. And yet, women receive 5% less funding than male entrepreneurs. Adrianna Samaniego – an investor at Female Founders Fund – shares her tips for those looking to right this wrong.

We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know’. Why is this notion such a popular one? Data scientist entrepreneur Edwina Dunn OBE, offers up some examples of when and why strong connections are a necessity.

HSBC’s own insight and experience tells us that getting in front of the right people is vital for the success of any entrepreneur, but we know that for women, this isn’t always as easy as it sounds. We spoke to CEO and Founder of Landit, Lisa Skeete Tatum – to gain tips on how to get the audience and attention you need to succeed.

From taking the time to know who you are, to how to effectively juggle your priorities, Rachel Lim, Founder of Love, Bonito, offers her top tips.

Shradha Sharma, Founder & CEO at YourStory Media, an influential news, events and networking site, talks to us about building a business from the ground up, the importance of purpose and her experience as a female entrepreneur in India.

Entrepreneur Paula Quazi, Co-founder of smol, offers her top tips on all things growth related.

Michelle Cordeiro Grant is the Founder and CEO of Lively, a lingerie brand so successful that she sold it for $105 million after just three years. Here, she tells us how she achieved success, and what she learnt along the way.
Financial Alliance for Women
Financial Alliance for Women (FAFW) is a leading network of financial services companies dedicated to championing the female economy. HSBC has signed up to become a Group-level Sponsor further demonstrating our support to female entrepreneurs around the globe.
We were delighted to sponsor the FAFW 2021 Annual Summit which took place from 5 to7 October. The key theme for this year was “Investing in Women, Transforming our World.”
A number of our senior leaders took part discussing a wide range of topics including coaching for female entrepreneurs, women and wealth, gender intelligent fintechs and building the JEDI workforce of tomorrow.
To watch highlights from the summit and to find out more about FAFW go to https://financialallianceforwomen.org
- * She’s The Business Introducing She’s the Business - HSBC Private Banking