“Invest in businesses founded and led by women” is the rallying call of a new campaign led by entrepreneur Emma Sinclair whose global software company EnterpriseAlumni is building a brave new world so firms can preserve talent and create a lasting pool of value.
#BeMyAngel launches on International Women’s Day (March 8) in a bid to galvanise backers and deliver solutions for a “broken funding system for females with glacial progress and no sign of repair”, says chief executive and EnterpriseAlumni co-founder Sinclair.
Her drive is set against a dispiriting backdrop where women in the UK currently only receive two per cent of venture capital funding and men are 50 times more likely to secure investment.
However up to £250 billion of new value could be added to the UK economy if women started and scaled new businesses at the same rate as UK men.
“Women therefore rely disproportionately on angels whose contribution is currently at a 10-year low,” observes Sinclair.
The youngest person to float a business on the London Stock Exchange, she has also been awarded an MBE for her services to entrepreneurship.
“Most ordinary people have no access to investing into innovative companies which are privately held,” she explains. “I believe one way to get change is by improving access and encouraging individuals to become investors. By putting in say £50 to £500 it will benefit the economy and a pipeline of future FTSE companies. This is about educating and advocating.”
A crowdfunding campaign through Crowdcube that Sinclair is starting for EntepriseAlumni will offer a slice of the investment to help more female entrepreneurs.
The business she has grown over the last eight years offers a one tech platform with software and services for bigger companies where they can activate, engage and maintain a safe connection to previous employees keen to stay in touch. Ticking key revenue, rehire and reputational boxes, “users have good experiences and companies the right tools to understand their alumni populations,” says Sinclair who has seen the relevancy of her proposition increase as the world of work changes.
“The cost of recruitment is rising, and short tenure and contingent labour forces more common,” she explains. “Companies spend a fortune sourcing, hiring and upskilling only then to say ‘Thanks goodbye’. We provide a modern approach to corporate alumni and social relationships, enabling continuity which can include perks, direct feeds, events, and newsletters.
“Our tech, that keeps data fresh and secure, can make those lifelong relationships happen. Our software powers LinkedIn’s alumni network. It all sends a good signal to new employees too.”
Employing 85 staff worldwide and regularly recruiting, some £20 million has been invested into EnterpriseAlumni which remains a rarity in having a gender-balanced mix of backers.
Contracts range from three to five years and annual recurring revenue is forecast to be £25 million for 2025/26 with contracts worth £100 million and 30 to 50 per cent predicted year-on-year growth from.
Clients span a broad spectrum from Marks and Spencer, Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard and Harrods to international banks, the military and NGOs. With an ethos of creating communities as well building them, the company now holds an annual conference for leaders and managers and offers CareerRoadMap an AI-powered personalised advice tool.
From the US, where take up is especially strong, the UK and Europe, EnterpriseAlumni is now expanding in the Middle East and Asia Pacific region. Demonstrating how the past can enrich the present and future, it never has to be goodbye now or even au revoir for staff now.
“We want more companies to tap into the home market” says Sinclair. “Our concept of maintaining a connection to this huge untapped pool makes sense to all businesses.” Enterprisealumni.com
