STYLISA FoundHers: From Spotlighting Stories to Spotlighting Solutions

Earlier this year, I launched STYLISA FoundHers, a digital storytelling platform spotlighting the stories of bold female entrepreneurs building brands and breaking boundaries. I started with written interviews, released monthly, because I wanted to create a space where women could tell their stories on their own terms, without the filter of clickbait, without the pressure to compress their life’s work into 15-second soundbites. The response has been overwhelming, in the best possible way.

I’ve had founders reach out from all over the UK (and beyond), sharing their journeys, their challenges, and their excitement about finally being seen. One of the very first FoundHers featured even secured an angel investor off the back of her interview.

That moment lit a spark. What if the interviews didn’t just shine a light on incredible women… what if they also became a bridge? A way to connect female entrepreneurs to the capital, support, and visibility they need to actually grow?

First I brought you the STYLISA FoundHers. Next, I'll be bringing the STYLISA FoundHer FundHers.

The Birth of FoundHer FundHers

This is how FoundHer FundHers was born: a new branch of the STYLISA FoundHers platform dedicated to honest, unfiltered conversations about money, investment, and the real barriers women face when trying to scale.

I’m not claiming to be the first person to raise these issues, many women have been doing this work for decades, often without recognition or reward. But I do want to be part of building a louder, more visible front. One that doesn’t just talk about funding in abstract terms, but shows what it looks like, up close and personal.

The format is simple: interviews with exited founders, investors, and finance professionals who are open to demystifying the journey. From how to find your first backer, to navigating term sheets, to understanding when (and if) venture capital is even the right route for your business.

We’ve found her. Now, let’s fund her.

Why This Matters

For women building businesses, funding isn’t just a financial issue, it’s a visibility issue, a trust issue, and a structural issue.

When women are overlooked for capital, their businesses stay smaller. When their businesses stay smaller, they’re seen as less “serious.” And when they’re seen as less serious, they’re excluded from the networks and rooms where decisions get made. It’s a vicious cycle, and one that’s often invisible until you’re in the thick of it.

Add to this the fact that much of the funding ecosystem is still rooted in “pattern-matching”, where investors back people who look like previous success stories, and it’s no wonder that so many women never make it past the pitch.

FoundHer FundHers is here to challenge that pattern.

What You Can Expect

The first FoundHer FundHers interview will go live in Monday 13 October, in parallel with that month’s featured FoundHer. Each month, I’ll be pairing a founder profile with a FundHer perspective, spotlighting one of the individuals or organisations that hold power in the finance and investment space, and are willing to use that power to create change.

These aren’t soundbite interviews. They’re nuanced, strategic, and rooted in the real. I want to know:

• What does someone’s funding journey actually look like, beyond the headlines?

• What would they do differently?

• What advice do they have for someone just starting out?

• What kinds of mistakes should be avoided?

• Where can we go when we’re outside the traditional routes?

And most importantly, how do we move from token inclusion to actual investment?

A Space for Power and Possibility

I want FoundHer FundHers to be a space where finance is not intimidating, but empowering. A space where we hear from those who have secured the bag, and from those holding the purse strings.

And in doing so, we begin to break down the illusion that fundraising success is reserved for a select few. It’s not. There are more routes than we’ve been told. There are more people willing to back bold ideas than we realise. But we don’t hear about them nearly enough.

This is about putting those stories front and centre.

What’s Next?

In addition to monthly interviews, I’m also exploring:

• Sponsorship opportunities to develop the series into a podcast format

• Co-hosted events that bring founders and funders into the same room

• A curated directory of recommended funding sources, specifically designed for women and marginalised entrepreneurs

This is just the beginning, but the vision is big: to build a media platform that doesn’t just tell stories, but drives outcomes.

Because stories are powerful, but when backed with action, they become transformational.

Why This Is Personal

As a woman building my own business, I know how difficult it is to access capital when you don’t come from generational wealth, or when your idea doesn’t “fit the mould.” I also know how lonely it can feel when you’re pitching, applying, reaching out, and hearing silence. FoundHer FundHers is as much about changing the system as it is about creating solidarity.

I want every founder who visits the platform to feel not just inspired, but informed. To find signposts, language, and real-life examples that make the next step feel possible. To see someone who’s been there, and made it through.

We need more exits. We need more investors who look like us. We need funding routes that aren’t locked behind closed doors.

And we need platforms that bring all of that together.

We’ve Found Her. Now Let’s Fund Her

If you’re a founder looking for funding, a funder looking to back bold ideas, or simply someone who believes in creating a more equitable future for entrepreneurship - FoundHer FundHers is for you. Follow the interviews. Share them. Act on them. And if you’re in a position to open doors, do it.

Let’s stop waiting to be invited in.

Let’s build the house.

Let’s fund her.

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