Help women lead way
“INVEST in businesses founded and led by women” is the rallying call of a campaign led by entrepreneur Emma Sinclair whose global software company Enterprise Alumni is building a brave new world to help firms preserve talent and create a lasting pool of value.
#BeMyAngel launches on Friday March 8, International Women’s Day, with the aim of galvanising backers and delivering solutions for a “broken funding system for females with glacial progress and no sign of repair”, says chief executive and Enterprise Alumni co-founder Sinclair.
Her drive is set against a backdrop in which UK women only receive two per cent of venture capital funding and where men are 50 times more likely to secure investment.
“Women are therefore relying disproportionately on angels, whose contribution is currently at a 10-year low,” observes Sinclair. “I believe one way to get change is by improving access and encouraging individuals to become investors.”
And a crowdfunding campaign via Crowdcube that Sinclair is starting for Enteprise Alumni 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. Here they can activate, engage and maintain a safe connection to previous employees keen to stay in touch.
Ticking key revenue, reputational and rehire 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’s rising and short tenure and contingent labour forces more common,” she explains.
“Companies spend fortunes sourcing, hiring and upskilling only then to say ‘Thanks, goodbye’. We provide a modern approach to corporate alumni networks, enabling continuity which can include perks, direct feeds, events and newsletters.
“Our tech keeps data fresh and secure. Our software powers LinkedIn’s alumni network – it sends a good signal to new employees too.”
Employing 85 staff worldwide, some £20million has been invested in Enterprise Alumni, which has a gender-balanced mix of backers.
Contracts range from three to five years and annual recurring revenue is forecast to be £25million for 2025/26.
Clients span a broad spectrum from Marks & Spencer, Call Of Duty maker Activision Blizzard and Harrods to international banks and the military.
It also offers Career Roadmap, an AI powered personalised advice tool, and from the States, the United Kingdom and Europe, Enterprise Alumni is now expanding in the Middle East and Asia Pacific region.
Demonstrating how the past can enrich the present and future, it never needs to be goodbye or even au revoir for staff now.
“Our concept of maintaining a connection to this huge untapped pool makes sense to all businesses,” says Sinclair.