NatWest has confirmed its continued support for young women aged 18 to 21 through the Thrive-backed Sisterhood Summer entrepreneurship programme, which has helped 84 young female entrepreneurs develop business concepts and ventures over the past five years.
Fifth year of supporting young female founders
Now in its fifth year, the annual two-week programme helps young women turn ideas into ventures that tackle social, environmental and economic challenges. Last week, 18 young women from across the UK pitched businesses at an event hosted at Canva's London office, addressing some of the world's biggest social and environmental issues.
The 2026 cohort includes entrepreneurs like Farah Conn, a final-year Fashion Technology student at Heriot-Watt University's School of Textiles and Design. She developed Little Waves, an innovative childrenswear collection that integrates sensory support, inclusive design and emotional wellbeing directly into everyday clothing for children with autism.
Closing the gender start-up gap
Emily Fallon, Director of 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.”
Fallon added: “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.”
Programme results and impact
Since NatWest began supporting Sisterhood Summer, 84 social-led businesses have been started or developed through the programme. Fallon said: “NatWest is proud to help support and inspire the next generation of founders.”
Rebecca Thomson, co-founder of 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, said: “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.”
