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Dorsett Hospitality International’s (DHI) president and executive director, Winnie Chiu, has announced the final winners of the Women’s Launch Lab incubator programme, as the National Women’s Enterprise Week’s (NWEW) successfully concluded.
The two winning female founders, Jenny Wordsworth of OVUM in the Scale Up category and Beatrice Larkin of Beatrice Larkin, were each awarded £5k in funding from Dorsett Hospitality International to further grow their businesses.
Wordsworth’s company OVUM has a stated mission to “redefine fertility care and empower individuals with knowledge”. The company’s flagship product is a scientifically-backed and patented preconception food supplement focused on improving egg quality, with over 550 studies supporting its benefits.
Meanwhile, Larkin is a Margate-based woven textile designer with a hand-drawn signature style, specialising in woven luxury fabrics for the interiors market. The Royal College of Art graduate has previously designed ranges for Made.com and Piglet in Bed, as well as a collection for the Tate Modern.
The 10 Women’s Launch Lab contenders pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges including Winnie Chiu, DHI’s chairman and executive director; businesswoman Akshata Murty; Alison Cork MBE, the TV presenter and entrepreneur who founded Make It Your Business to support budding businesswomen and NWEW; and Sabrina Ho, entrepreneur and CEO of Poly Auction Hong Kong.
The winners were announced by Winnie Chui at the British Library Business and IP Centre, a partner of NWEW, on Thursday 20 June, with £10k in investment awarded from DHI.
Chiu said: “The National Women’s Enterprise Week has been nothing short of inspirational. Dorsett Hospitality International invests in positive impacts, and we are proud to have supported this nationwide celebration of women-led businesses for the second year running.
“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to this year’s remarkable winners of the Women’s Launch Lab, and eagerly anticipate witnessing the continued accomplishments of all participants as they advance in their ventures.”
During National Women’s Enterprise Week, Dorsett Shepherds Bush hosted five female-led start-ups and five female scale-ups selected out of 110 applications as part of the Women’s Launch Lab.
This year’s Women’s Launch Lab saw a 30% increase in applicants compared to last year.
