Virginie Charles-Dear is the entrepreneur behind one of the UK's top 100 fastest-growing businesses. She founded toucanBox in 2012 after realising that the "everyday objects" featured on children's TV programmes were hard to come by ("Who saves 24 ice lolly sticks?"). With this in mind, the former Yahoo! executive created toucanBox, a subscription service delivering a personalised package of activities for children and toddlers every month containing materials and instructions for various DIY projects.

This lunchtime roundtable will be attended by female entrepreneurs, policy experts and journalists. In the past two years, studies have shone a light on the gender funding gap. This is a complex issue, but not one we should skirt, as it is frequently mentioned by female entrepreneurs who feel they are judged to be less competent than their male peers. Our event will address the following:

– Why are men 5x more likely to build a business of £1m+ turnover and what role does access to finance play in the discrepancy?

– How can women succeed in the boardroom? How can they deliver winning business pitches? What tips can established female leaders offer to fledgling founders? Where can they seek support?

– We also need to look through the other end of the telescope: how can we ensure investors fund women-led businesses?

– What role can the government play in ensuring women get a greater slice of the funding pie?

RSVP to events@tenentrepreneurs.org