Ana Stewart’s Pathways Pledge initiative has entered a new chapter with the onboarding of its fifth cohort of partners, bringing the total number of participating organisations to 32. The latest signatories include Connect Three, Geovation Scotland, Mint Ventures, the University of Edinburgh, BGF, and Firstport.

The initiative, a key strand of the broader Pathways Forward programme, is focused on tackling gender inequality in entrepreneurship across Scotland. Each pledge partner commits to tailored actions supporting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), from hosting educational events and gathering impactful data to building a network of female investors and amplifying women’s voices on public platforms.

Ana Stewart, recently appointed as Scotland’s Chief Entrepreneur, reaffirmed the importance of the initiative: “The Pledge initiative is a key pillar of Pathways Forward and we’re motivated to see its continued growth. Our focus is on consolidating efforts across the ecosystem to drive change through collaboration, with each organisation contributing its share to achieve a greater collective impact.”

The fifth cohort gathered recently at BGF’s office in Edinburgh, underlining the commitment from both public and private sectors to create lasting change.

In parallel, first-year pledge partners such as AccelerateHER, Eos, and CodeBase have renewed their commitments with enhanced pledges. Their continued involvement includes launching a growth lab for female founders, providing unconscious bias training, introducing improved parental leave policies, and engaging secondary school pupils in entrepreneurship events.

Looking ahead, Pathways Forward will host its Female Founders Growth Summit on 16 September at the RBS Gogarburn conference centre. In partnership with Female Founders Rise, Buy Women Built, the ScaleUp Institute, and SuperScalers, the event aims to deliver an immersive experience featuring keynote speakers, curated networking, targeted workshops, and one-on-one connections with investors.

Stewart added: “The summit will deliver a unique combination of inspiring keynotes, dedicated workshops, impact networking with peers and curated connections with investors. By collaborating with organisations across the UK, we’re able to ensure attendees leave the summit feeling motivated and armed with practical, actionable takeaways to drive their own sustainable and accelerated business growth.”