Month of events to celebrate trailblazing women

Month of events to celebrate trailblazing women

Local innovation hub Plus X Brighton is hosting a series of events to mark International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month this March. Virtual panel events, masterclasses, interviews and digital content will celebrate women who are innovating for social, environmental, and political good, in Brighton and beyond.

Created in partnership with female founders’ network Found & Flourish and BRITE, the £10.5million programme helping Sussex businesses scale, Trailblazing Women brings together speakers from investment, technology, politics, and the creative arts. Each is on a mission to deliver positive change through their work. Delegates will meet other female entrepreneurs in the community, learn from inspiring success stories and discuss how to help more purpose-led businesses thrive and inspire change.

The events are part of Spring Forward, Brighton’s largest celebration of women in digital culture, set up in 2016 to encourage women to step into tech-focused careers.

Tickets to Trailblazing Women can be purchased on a pay-what-you-can basis, with all proceeds going to local charity Brighton Women’s Centre. Each ticket holder will be entered into a raffle to win a month’s free desk space at Plus X Brighton on Lewes Road.

Programme highlights include:

Trailblazing Women | Innovating for Good

A panel chaired by Lara Sheldrake, founder of Found & Flourish, exploring ways of using technology and innovation to meet social and environmental goals.

Speakers include:

• Erika Brodnick – Sky News’ resident parenting expert, founder of software companies Karisma Kidz and Kami, and board member of the APPG for Entrepreneurship.

• Deepali Nangia – angel investor, advisor to female founders, and co-founder of Alma Angels, a company set-up to democratize and demystify angel investing.

• Lucy Hughes – designer and founder of MarinaTex, a biodegradable material that serves as an alternative to plastic film that’s transforming our approach to plastic pollution.

Trailblazing Women | Serious About Games

An interactive talk with two female founders running businesses on the BRITE programme for high growth enterprises. Expect immersive activities, presented by Sarah Ticho, founder of Hatsumi, and Hazel Reynolds, founder of Gamely Games. Sarah and Hazel will also discuss their journeys, the lack of women in gaming tech and what the future looks like, as well as demonstrating their creations.

The final event taking place on March 26 will be an interactive masterclass hosted by a local leader in the creative arts.

Olga Hopton, managing director of Plus X Brighton: “Plus X is already home to some exceptional female-led start-ups and scale ups – boosted by the launch of the BRITE programme last year. Collaborating with like-minded organisations in our community – like Found & Flourish and Spring Forward – on the inaugural Trailblazing Women has been a real pleasure, and a natural step for Plus X as we look to support Sussex women in business as the world opens up post-COVID.”

Lara Sheldrake, founder of Found & Flourish: “We are thrilled to have been invited to share this wonderful celebration of trailblazing women with PlusX and BRITE to mark IWD. Every day we see women underselling themselves and holding back from building businesses for fear of failure or simply because they don’t know where to start. From sharing experiences, we can learn practical lessons and insights to empower us on our entrepreneurial paths. Crucially, storytelling de-risks entrepreneurship so we believe it is an essential pillar in closing the opportunity gap for women entrepreneurs.”

Plus X creates innovation hubs, enabling businesses of all sizes to scale through innovation and curated collaboration. Working in partnership with property owners such as regeneration specialists, U+I plc, Plus X innovation hubs help transform areas by unlocking potential, making local economies more vibrant and resilient. The Brighton site opened in July 2020 as part of the Preston Barracks development.