In this article
81% of young people can't name a single female entrepreneur, according to a 2020 Santander study. This isn't because female founders don't exist – it's because the stories we tell, the curriculums we follow, and the media young people consume consistently centre male founders. When it comes to entrepreneur role models for kids, the picture is overwhelmingly one-sided. Changing visibility changes outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- 81% of young people can't name a single female entrepreneur (Santander, 2020)
- Kids can only aspire to what they can see – role models for kids shape ambition and career choices
- Less than 2% of venture capital goes to female founders in the UK
- Girls' confidence in their abilities drops by 30% between ages 8 and 14
- Five practical ways to change the story: tell stories, update curriculums, use inclusive media, celebrate local founders, normalise entrepreneurship
- 250+ real female founder role models available in our directory, covering 11 sectors
Ask a classroom of children to name a famous entrepreneur and you'll likely hear: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs. Now flip the question: Can you name a female founder? Silence. In fact, research by Santander shows that 81% of young people can't name a single female entrepreneur. That means the next generation is growing up with a one-sided picture of what success looks like – and it's overwhelmingly male. Without female founder role models, young people simply don't know what's possible.
Why female founder role models matter for kids
81% of young people can't name a female founder. If 8 out of 10 young people can't name one, we're sending the message – "This isn't for you." Role models for kids aren't a nice-to-have – they're essential.
The phrase "you can't be what you can't see" has become a cliché, but the research behind it is clear. A 2023 study by Inspiring the Future found that children as young as seven already hold gender-stereotyped views about careers. By 14, most young people have already formed their career aspirations – and without diverse entrepreneur role models, those aspirations are shaped by a narrow, male-dominated narrative.
Representation shapes ambition
Kids can only aspire to what they can see. When young people encounter real female founder role models – women who've built businesses in food, tech, fashion, sustainability, and more – entrepreneurship stops feeling like something reserved for a small group of men in Silicon Valley.
The economy is missing out
Women-led businesses are a huge driver of innovation and growth, yet less than 2% of venture capital funding goes to female founders. The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship found that closing the UK gender enterprise gap could add £250 billion to the economy.
Confidence starts early – and drops early
Research shows girls' confidence in their abilities drops by around 30% between the ages of 8 and 14. Without entrepreneur role models to counteract that dip, self-doubt grows and ambitions shrink. Role models for girls don't just inspire – they protect confidence at its most vulnerable stage.
It's not just about girls
When boys grow up only seeing male entrepreneurs, they form a narrow view of leadership too. Diverse role models for kids of all genders create a richer, more inclusive understanding of what business looks like.
The real cost of invisibility
The visibility gap isn't abstract – it has measurable consequences that ripple through education, business, and the wider economy.
81%
of young people can't name a female entrepreneur
Source: Santander, 2020
<2%
of venture capital goes to all-female founder teams
Source: British Business Bank
£250bn
potential boost to the UK economy from closing the gender enterprise gap
Source: Rose Review, 2019
63%
of girls aged 11-18 have never thought about starting a business
Source: Santander, 2020
These numbers paint a stark picture. The funding gap and the visibility gap feed each other in a vicious cycle: investors fund what they know, and what they know is shaped by who they see. When female founders are invisible to the public, they're invisible to investors too. Breaking this cycle starts with the youngest generation – by giving them entrepreneur role models from day one.
The Rose Review made clear that one of the most effective interventions is increasing the visibility of female founder role models – particularly for young people still forming their sense of what's possible. Enterprise education that includes real women's stories isn't just good teaching; it's an economic strategy.
How we change the story: five evidence-based approaches
The good news: visibility can change everything. Here's how parents, teachers, and communities can help rewrite the narrative and bring entrepreneur role models into young people's lives.
1. Tell the stories of female founders
Introduce kids to women who've built brilliant businesses. From food to fintech, fashion to sustainability – female founder role models exist across every sector. The more young people hear these stories, the more normal entrepreneurship feels. Explore our library of 250+ real founder stories to get started.
2. Bring entrepreneur role models into the classroom
Curriculums are full of explorers, kings, and inventors – but rarely female entrepreneurs. Adding real founder stories to lessons, assemblies, and enterprise projects makes business feel possible for every child. Enterprise education is already part of the UK curriculum at KS2 and KS3 – the opportunity is there.
3. Use books and media that put young people at the centre
Children's books, films, and resources shape their world-view. Choosing stories where girls and young people see themselves as founders, problem-solvers, and leaders puts entrepreneurship within reach from the earliest age. Stories like Maya's Big Business Adventure introduce enterprise concepts through characters kids can relate to.
4. Celebrate local and relatable role models
Big names are great, but local visibility matters too. Invite female founders into schools, youth clubs, and community events. Meeting someone 'like me' who runs a business can light the spark that a headline never could. Role models for kids are most powerful when they feel real and reachable.
5. Normalise entrepreneurship as an everyday option
Entrepreneurship shouldn't feel like an extraordinary exception. Talk about it at the dinner table, encourage lemonade stands and bake sales, set mini business challenges, and make it part of everyday conversation. When starting a business feels as normal as choosing a career, more young people will try it.
Role models in action: real women, real businesses
What does a female founder role model actually look like? Not a distant celebrity – but a real person with a real story that young people can connect with. Here are just a few from our directory of 250+ female founder role models:
Cassandra Stavrou MBE – Propercorn: Started making popcorn in her kitchen and built it into one of the UK's best-known snack brands, stocked in thousands of shops.
Anne-Marie Imafidon – Stemettes: Founded a social enterprise to inspire the next generation of young women in STEM – reaching hundreds of thousands of young people.
Nisha Katona MBE – Mowgli Street Food: Left a career as a barrister to follow her passion for food, building a restaurant chain that celebrates authentic Indian street cuisine.
Holly Tucker MBE – Holly & Co: Co-founded notonthehighstreet.com and now champions small businesses and independent makers through Holly & Co.
Natasha Orumbie – The Vegan Patty Lady: Brings authentic Caribbean flavours to plant-based food, proving that innovation and heritage can go hand in hand.
Claire Owen – PupilPower: Built an AI-driven platform bringing immersive VR learning to UK classrooms, backed by Innovate UK and Microsoft.
These aren't distant celebrities – they're real women building real businesses. When young people read their stories, something shifts. "If she can do it, maybe I can too." That's the power of entrepreneur role models, and it's why we've built the UK's largest curated directory of 250+ female founder role models specifically for young people.
Practical tips for parents and teachers
You don't have to be an entrepreneur yourself to make a difference. Here are simple, everyday actions that bring female founder role models into young people's lives:
For parents
Share news stories about women in business at the dinner table
Point out women-led brands when you're shopping – kids notice what you notice
Encourage a 'Big Ideas Notebook' where no idea is too small or too silly
Read books together that feature entrepreneurial characters and female founders
Watch documentaries or interviews with real female entrepreneurs as a family
For teachers and educators
Use female founder case studies in enterprise education lessons and assemblies
Run an Entrepreneur Day featuring local business women as guest speakers
Set mini business challenges that reference real female-founded companies
Display female founder role model profiles in classrooms and corridors
Use our free educator resources, lesson plans, and Entrepreneur Day packs
Explore our 250+ Role Models library to find inspiring women to share with your children or students, or visit our Educators Hub for ready-made enterprise teaching resources.
Enterprise education and the role model effect
Enterprise education is already embedded in the UK national curriculum at KS2 and KS3. It teaches young people to think creatively, solve problems, manage money, and build confidence – whether or not they go on to start a business. But enterprise education without diverse role models is incomplete.
When enterprise lessons include real female founder stories, something powerful happens. Young people don't just learn about business concepts in the abstract – they see real women who've applied those concepts, faced real challenges, and built something meaningful. That combination of skill-building and inspiration is what closes the gap between "I know how" and "I believe I can."
This is why We Can Be combines structured enterprise courses with 250+ female founder role models, AI tools that build real-world skills, and age-appropriate books and workbooks. Enterprise education works best when it's surrounded by the stories, tools, and inspiration that make it feel real.
Read more about what enterprise education is and why it matters.
The bigger picture
Changing this statistic isn't just about fairness. It's about building an economy and a society that values all its talent. When young people grow up knowing the names and stories of female founders, they develop a richer understanding of what leadership, innovation, and success can look like.
"Imagine if every young person in the UK grew up knowing five, ten, or twenty inspiring female founders. The pipeline of future entrepreneurs would look completely different."
The research is clear: role models for kids change outcomes. They change what young people believe is possible, who they aspire to become, and the careers they pursue. Entrepreneur role models don't just create future founders – they build confidence, creativity, and resilience that serve young people in every path they choose.
Right now, 81% of young people can't name a female founder. By telling the stories, showing the role models, embedding them in enterprise education, and sparking conversations early, we can change that number. And when we do, the next generation won't hesitate when asked, "Can you name a female entrepreneur?"
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't most young people name a female founder?
Research by Santander shows that 81% of young people can't name a single female entrepreneur. This is because the media, education system, and cultural narratives consistently centre male founders like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Female entrepreneurs exist in their thousands but lack the same visibility, which means the next generation grows up with a one-sided picture of what entrepreneurial success looks like.
Why are female founder role models important for kids?
Children can only aspire to what they can see. Research consistently shows that exposure to relatable role models is one of the strongest predictors of career aspiration. When young people see real women building businesses across sectors like tech, food, fashion, and sustainability, they begin to believe entrepreneurship is something they can do too. Role models don't just inspire – they reshape what young people consider possible.
How can parents and teachers increase visibility of female founders?
Five evidence-based approaches work: tell the stories of female founders in everyday conversation, bring entrepreneur role models into the classroom through assemblies and projects, use books and media that put girls at the centre of entrepreneurship stories, celebrate local role models by inviting female founders into schools, and normalise entrepreneurship as a career option from an early age through activities like bake sales and mini business challenges.
What percentage of venture capital funding goes to female founders in the UK?
Less than 2% of venture capital funding goes to female founders, despite women-led businesses being a significant driver of innovation and economic growth. The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship found that closing the gender gap in entrepreneurship could add £250 billion to the UK economy. The funding gap is both a cause and a consequence of the visibility gap.
Where can I find female founder role models for young people?
We Can Be features the UK's largest curated directory of 250+ real female founder role models, organised by sector and searchable by name. The directory includes women across Tech, Food & Drink, Fashion, Health, Sustainability, Education, and more – each with an inspiring story written specifically for young people aged 6–18.
How does enterprise education help close the gender gap?
Enterprise education introduces young people to business skills, creativity, and problem-solving from an early age. When it includes diverse entrepreneur role models, it normalises the idea that anyone can start a business – regardless of gender, background, or location. Curriculum-aligned enterprise education with real female founder stories helps close both the confidence gap and the visibility gap.
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