Women at the Helm of the Future Fifty

Shaping markets from clean power to clinical tech

Women are scaling businesses that matter - in energy, in finance, in health, in data. Through Women of Influence, Cavendish supports those journeys, connecting founders with networks, advice, and opportunities to go further.

That’s why the new Future Fifty 2025 report feels so important. Tech Nation’s programme is designed to spotlight the UK’s late-stage growth businesses - those already raising significant capital, hiring at scale, and expanding internationally. This year’s cohort has raised nearly £4.5 billion between them and employs more than 4,000 people. Within it, women are not tucked away at the margins. They are at the centre of scaleups in energy, finance, health, and nature data.

Energy with impact

Manchester-based UrbanChain, founded by Dr Somayeh Taheri, is creating local clean energy markets that make renewables more accessible. The business has already attracted significant investment.

Taheri is candid about what has helped along the way:

“Being able to speak candidly and get unbiased advice is crucial in the early growth phase.”

Her words echo what we hear often in the Women of Influence community - that trusted advice and peer networks matter as much as capital when a business is scaling fast.

Finance reimagined

In fintech, women are building platforms with reach and resilience. Abound, co-founded by Michelle He, uses open banking and AI to improve credit decisions. Already at Series C, the company has raised over £1.6 billion and employs more than 100 people.

Tumelo, co-founded by Georgia Stewart, is changing how shareholder democracy works by enabling fund managers to align voting with their clients’ preferences. Stewart has put it simply: “We needed to make them real votes with real impact.”

Both are reminders that women are not just present in financial technology - they are reshaping its foundations.

Health and wellbeing

Innovation in health is equally visible. Nourished, founded by Melissa Snover, combines 3D printing with personalisation to produce tailor-made nutrition products, backed by global investors. Snover’s approach reflects a wider truth: scale comes from combining scientific innovation with commercial execution.

Meanwhile, Hexarad, co-founded by NHS consultant radiologist Dr Farzana Rahman, is the UK’s only clinically led, AI-enabled radiology platform. Her message is grounded in patient need: “Without diagnosis there is no treatment.”

These businesses show how female leadership is shaping sectors that affect lives directly, from personalised wellness to faster clinical pathways.

Nature and data

NatureMetrics, led by Dimple Patel, has built a biodiversity intelligence platform now used in more than 100 countries. Patel makes the link between people and performance clear:

“People are central to success – talent is strategy.”

It’s a reminder that scale isn’t only about raising capital.

Building teams, retaining talent, and creating cultures that can sustain rapid growth are just as important.

Why it matters

The Future Fifty has already supported over 30% of the UK’s unicorns and 40% of its decacorns. To see women leading businesses within this year’s cohort is not a symbolic milestone - it is evidence of their role in driving the UK’s growth economy.

At Cavendish, through Women of Influence, our commitment is simple: to keep supporting women founders as they grow. Their achievements in the Future Fifty remind us what’s possible when ambition is matched with support, and why their stories matter.