Female Founders Club: Powering Positive Change
Female Founders Club (FFC) run by NTU Enterprise offers you space for sharing skills, knowledge and advice around starting, funding, and growing your business. Be a part of our inclusive club and find support for you and your business to evolve and thrive.
Our Female Founders Club is dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs. Whilst our programme primarily uses female-centred language, we warmly welcome non-binary and trans individuals who feel comfortable in this environment.
Type of event: Networking | Workshops
From: Wednesday 25 March 2026, 10 am
To: Wednesday 25 March 2026, 12 pm
Location: Dryden Enterprise Centre, Dryden Street, Nottingham, NG1 4FQ
Booking deadline: Tuesday 24 March 2026, 12.00 pm
Event details
Join us for a morning of insight and connection as we hear from women who have built impactful, socially‑driven ventures across health, education and sustainability. They’ll share their stories and we’ll explore what it takes to create purpose‑led businesses that make a difference to people, place and planet.
For our March Female Founders Club, we’ve joined forces with Sheridan Chilvers Ecosystem Engagement Lead, Allia Impact*
What to expect
- Inspiring founder stories from women leading social‑impact ventures
- Insights from real experiences across health, education and sustainability
- A guided activity to explore your own purpose and priorities as a founder
- Networking with fellow female founders
About Allia
Allia is a UK-based organisation that has supported thousands of social enterprises, ethical businesses, and charities to grow and amplify their impact. Through its Future Business Centres, venture support programmes, and impact finance services, Allia has been a leading force in creating positive change for people, places, and the planet.
Over the past 25 years, Allia has:
- Supported over 4,000 entrepreneurs and ventures
- Advised on and arranged over £4 billion in impact finance
- Created hubs for innovation and collaboration in Cambridge, Peterborough, Nottingham and London
Meet the Speakers:
Rose Deakin
Dr Rose Deakin is a sustainability researcher, consultant and social entrepreneur with a PhD in Sustainable Materials. She started The Crop Club CIC; a social‑enterprise that helps people to grow food in small spaces. The Crop Club runs workshops and makes eco-growing kits to help communities, schools and businesses across the UK. Rose works to reconnect people with nature, food and each other whilst increasing biodiversity.
Rose also works as a Carbon Management Consultant and Carbon Literacy Trainer. She helps small businesses and schools to understand how to cut carbon. Rose teaches everything from carbon accounting and target‑setting to sustainable behaviour change and creating decarbonisation action plans.
Claire Clements
Claire Clements is the founder of Positive Pants and Positive Pants Family CIC. An award winner, best-selling author, mentor, and speaker, she’s helped thousands of children and parents support their mental health through programmes, courses, workshops, events, and resources. With a background in both corporate and education sectors, and a personal journey shaped by resilience, Claire is passionate about empowering children to navigate life’s challenges. She regularly appears on BBC radio, TV, and podcasts, and lives in Nottinghamshire with her partner, teen, and cat—fuelled by tea, music and a love of alpacas!
Kate Whyles
Kate Whyles is a passionate Digital Innovation and Skills Coach at Nottingham College, renowned for her expertise in game-based learning. As a Minecraft Education Ambassador for the UK, Kate shares the power of gaming to generate engagement and skills development in students. With a strong educational background in both the arts and computer science, Kate is committed to bridging the gender gap in STEM fields and empowering students to explore essential creative skills that prepare them for the future. Kate has made significant contributions to education, receiving prestigious honours such as the TechWomen100 award and being recognised as a Global Tech Award winner for her outstanding work in educational technology. As a devoted STEM Ambassador, she passionately promotes computer science education and supports the use of game-based learning in classrooms.
*This event is supported through the Tech for Good Regional Tech Booster programme, delivered by Allia Impact in partnership with the UK Tech Cluster Group and funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Please be aware that the project funding requires us to share attendees' names and email address with these partners for reporting purposes. We will ask you to indicate permission to share this data when you sign in on the day.
Programme
09:30 - 10:00: Arrivals, sign in and networking
10:00 - 10:15: Introductions - Diana + Sheridan
10:15 - 10:45: Speaker introductions
10:45 - 11:30: Panel Discussion / Q&A
11:30 - 12:00: Activity
12:00 - 12:10: Summary and Close
12:10 - 12:30: Networking Lunch (bring your own lunch and network with other fellow female founders front of house)
Location details
Address:
Dryden Street
Nottingham
NG1 4FQ
Parking:
There is no onsite parking at the Dryden Enterprise Centre, and we encourage, wherever possible, that people access the building by walking, cycling, or using public transport.
The DEC is within Nottingham Trent University’s city campus.
We’re adjacent to the Dryden Centre and opposite the Bonington Gallery. Our location is highlighted by the NTU Enterprise pin. Map courtesy of Google.
If you’re using SatNav or Google Maps use the postcode NG1 4FQ to help find us.