Athena Festival 2025

Gender Smart Investment, Reimagined

Athena Festival 2025 - the largest female founder conference outside of London - is back for 2025!

Hosted at Nexus Leeds, a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship, Athena brings together founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders for a day of insight, connection and opportunity.

Who Should Attend

• Female startup founders and entrepreneurs
• Angel investors and VCs
• Business mentors and startup advisors
• Accelerators and support organisations
• Aspiring founders and change-makers

Keynote speaker announcement

We're delighted to announce our two keynote speakers:

Marverine Cole, multi-award-winning journalist and TV presenter

Marverine, a familiar face on ITV’s Good Morning Britain and Love Your Weekend, will share her insights on courage, bravery, and resourcefulness - the qualities that fuel innovation, resilience and growth for founders in today’s challenging economy.

Lisa Clifford, internationally certified empowerment coach, motivational speaker and founder of The Meant For More Movement.

Having worked with CEOs, global brands and the UK Ministry of Defence, Lisa is renowned for her transformational work helping individuals and organisations unlock courage, clarity and confidence. Lisa will share insights on self-belief, resilience and becoming unstoppable – qualities every founder and innovator needs in today’s fast-changing world.

Tickets

Reserve your spot today and be part of a growing community driving inclusive innovation across the UK. This event is supported by the British Business Bank, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, RBC Brewin Dolphin and Gordons.

Register now and be part of the future of female entrepreneurship.

Why Lifted Ventures?

Athena isn’t just aligned with our mission, it’s built from it.

Lifted Ventures exists to increase the flow of capital to female founders by creating inclusive investment networks across the UK. Headquartered at Nexus, University of Leeds, we’ve helped women-led startups raise over £6.5 million and built syndicates that prove investing in women isn’t just right, it’s smart.

Lifted Ventures don’t just host events. We move capital. Athena is where that momentum becomes a movement.

The inaugural festival in 2024 was a resounding success, drawing over 150 attendees and speakers from across the UK. By creating a platform for female founders outside the M25, Athena is driving economic growth, sparking innovation, and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through keynotes, workshops, networking, and a high-stakes pitch competition, Athena equips women entrepreneurs with the tools, knowledge, and connections they need to scale and succeed.

For Female Founders

Athena is built for women entrepreneurs who are ready to grow their businesses and connect with a supportive network. You’ll gain practical advice from experienced founders and investors, attend expert-led workshops, and get access to mentors who understand your journey.

You’ll also have the chance to see our flagship Pitch Competition, where selected founders present to a panel of investors for funding, feedback, and exposure.

Whether you're preparing to raise your first round or scaling into new markets, Athena equips you with the knowledge, tools, and support to move forward with confidence.

For Angel Investors

Athena is a unique opportunity to discover and support high-potential, female-led startups from across the UK. The data is clear: investing in women makes business sense.

• Female-founded startups deliver twice as much revenue per pound invested
• They show stronger capital efficiency and higher exit multiples
• Yet they still receive only around 2% of venture capital funding

At Athena, you’ll get early access to exclusive founder pitches, participate in investor panels, and connect with other angels and funders committed to creating a more inclusive and profitable startup ecosystem.

Angel groups with over 15% women investors make more than half of their investments in women-led teams. Diverse investors fund diverse teams, and the results follow.