Earlier this month, SBRI Healthcare and NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) announced a new Venture Capital Readiness programme in partnership with Lifted Ventures.
The bespoke programme is designed specifically for female founders in the SBRI Healthcare and NIHR i4i portfolios who are looking to raise between £200,000 and £2 million in the next 12 months to access funding, learn from founders who’ve been there before, and connect with a powerful network of mentors and investors.
Lisa Rose, Senior Programme Manager at SBRI Healthcare explains the benefits for women founders and why they should apply.
If you’re a woman founder building a health or social care innovation, you probably know that Venture Capital (VC) could be the key to scaling your business. But getting in front of the right VCs - and securing their investment - takes more than just a great idea.
That’s where the SBRI Healthcare & NIHR i4i Venture Capital Readiness Programme comes in.
This isn’t just about perfecting your pitch - it’s about understanding how the VC model works and knowing how to adapt your message to different types of investors.
Let’s explore what your journey might look like on the programme:
Meet Alex - a female healthcare startup founder. Alex had a bold idea to revolutionise post-surgery care and has already had some funding and investment to turn this idea into a product/service. But like many founders, she needs further investment, mentorship, and connections to turn that business model into a thriving, scalable business. She joins the VC readiness programme, developed by early stage investment connector Lifted Ventures, and tackles:
● Building a stronger business model - refining her strategy, pricing, and market positioning
● Funding literacy- understanding grants, equity, and debt funding (and which one is right for her)
● Financial forecasting & legal essentials - mastering the numbers and protecting her IP
● Mentorship & networking - connecting with experienced founders, healthcare leaders, and finance experts
● Investor readiness - developing a strong pitchdeck with personalised coaching to refine it.
She also gets:
● Exclusive business visits to successful women-led healthcare companies that have raised investment
● Introductions to curated investors - including angels and VCs passionate about funding women-led innovations.
By the end, Alex has:
● A confident, investment-ready pitch, practiced and polished
● A clear plan for growth
● An individualised investor feedback report, giving clarity to points of strength and those for continued development
● Follow-up meetings with potential investors - ready to take her business to the next level.
Still wondering if the SBRI Healthcare & NIHR i4i Venture Capital Readiness Programme is right for you? Lifted Ventures has already helped:
● A female founder developing an innovative breast related product with clarity on the ideal target market and an introduction to a commercialisation specialist
● A female founder with a gene testing product to redefine her potential consumer group, secure two customers, be introduced to a founder who has already raised through Lifted Ventures, and provided the opportunity to pitch at an investor event
● A founder developing a menstruation tracker for young women's sport to pitch at two large events using the pitchdeck Lifted Ventures helped her to create and refine.
Applications close on Friday April 25th so don’t miss your chance to join.
Full details, the application form, eligibility criteria and FAQs can be found on the Lifted Ventures website: liftedventures.co.uk/athena-labs-sbri2
Got any questions? Let us know and we’ll be happy to help: info@liftedventures.co.uk