On this International Women’s Day, we are proud to announce that PheroSyn is a winner of an Innovate UK Unlocking Potential Award, providing capital and support to unrepresented founders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. This competition focuses on a diverse group of innovators with different backgrounds and experiences, and underscores PheroSyn’s commitment to promoting Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in the workplace as an essential aspect of its corporate culture.

PheroSyn produces identical copies of nature’s own pheromones for use in monitoring and managing pests in agriculture and horticulture. The prestigious Unlocking Potential Award will support the development of sustainable pheromone-based pest management approaches to secure the future of the global food supply

“Having a role model is one of the most powerful forms of learning, and I’ve been lucky enough to have some incredible women as role models in my career”, said Dr Mary Ellis, CEO and Co-founder of PheroSyn. “I’m thrilled that Innovate UK see me in that role, and have provided this grant to support our company on its journey. Our thanks go to Innovate UK.”

In line with the UK’s growing appetite for innovation, this new award programme was amongst the most highly engaged funding competitions Innovate UK has ever delivered – with over 2,100 entrepreneurs applying for funding and business mentorship. There is an urgent need to transform the UK’s skills and talent pipeline, through inspiring and connecting people to new opportunities and pathways into innovation.