Chartered accountancy and business advisory firm Johnston Carmichael and Thorntons are backing the initiative, organised by Foras, for the first time. Their sponsorship will enable female entrepreneurs to travel to the Web Summit, being held next month in Lisbon, Portugal, with a subsidy offered for those planning to attend with their children and partners, removing barriers around childcare.

A group of 48 delegates representing Scotland’s tech start-up scene – almost three-quarters of whom are female – is set to visit the tech event between 13-16 November. Attracting more than 70,000 attendees, Web Summit is an opportunity to showcase ideas, products and services to an international audience of industry leaders, investors and potential collaborators. It is also a chance to foster connections that can fuel growth, secure funding, and forge strategic business partnerships.

Alistair Lang, lead partner in the ventures and innovation team, Thorntons, said: “Scotland is renowned worldwide as a country of innovators and we have produced some incredible tech businesses, including unicorns SkyScanner and FanDuel, as well as more recent high growth success stories such as LendingCrowd. Supporting a more diverse array of founders is crucial to helping the next generation of start-ups to flourish and follow in their footsteps.”