New York City, NY 3rd April 2025: A high-impact event hosted during New York’s Tartan Week brought together influential women from the UK and US to confront one of the biggest barriers facing female entrepreneurs: access to investment.
Led by Gillian Fleming, CEO of Mint Ventures, and Sarah Eddie, founder of SE Tax Professionals, along with special Guest Morven Shaw from Selaura, the event was supported by Cath Strachan of Scottish Business Network (SBN) and held at the New York offices of CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA Wealth).
The focus: the urgent need to close the gender investment gap and build cross-border support for women-led businesses.
“Only three pence in every pound invested goes to women-led businesses,” said Gillian Fleming. “That statistic is not moving fast enough. We’re here to change that, not just by talking about it, but by doing something about it.”
A Pioneering Model for Change
Fleming leads Mint Ventures, a trailblazing women-led investment syndicate that has developed a pioneering training programme to qualify potential investors and built an angel network aimed specifically at helping female-led businesses raise finance. The network backs purpose-driven, scalable ventures and encourages more women to become angel investors themselves, something that has historically been dominated by men.
At the New York event, Gillian brought along two UK-based companies from Mint Ventures’ network, both women-led and actively exploring expansion and seeking investment into the US. This was a practical demonstration of the firm’s mission: to create real routes to international growth for women led businesses often in sectors overlooked by traditional investment channels.
“It’s about putting women in the room, not just as founders pitching for capital, but as investors writing the cheques,” Fleming added.
Practical Support for Global Growth
Alongside her, Sarah Eddie, founder of SE Tax Professionals, focused on the equally important side of international expansion: structuring, compliance, and tax strategy. A dual-qualified UK/US tax advisor, Eddie works closely with growth-stage businesses to ensure they’re set up for sustainable cross-border success.
“International growth is exciting, but if you don’t get the tax piece right, it can unravel quickly,” said Eddie. “We’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Sarah’s firm works with high-net-worth business owners and scaling founders, helping them navigate the complex regulatory landscapes of the UK and US. She highlighted the need for women founders to understand the importance of getting tax advice before they set up their overseas venture, to budget for it in the business plan. The US tax system is complex, and they are ruthless with their fines and penalties.
A dual-qualified tax advisor in both the UK and US, Sarah is the founder of SE Tax Professionals, a boutique firm that supports high-net-worth business owners and founders with cross-border growth, investment readiness, and tax risk mitigation.
“Access to funding is only part of the picture,” said Eddie. “Female founders scaling across borders need the right guidance early, especially on tax structuring and compliance. Without it, growth can stall or expose them to unnecessary financial risk.”
Powered by the Scottish Business Network
The event was supported by Cath Strachan and the Scottish Business Network, an international network that connects Scottish entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders around the globe. The SBN’s backing of the event aligned with its mission to spotlight Scotland’s global business impact and support inclusive economic growth.
“This kind of partnership, bringing together investors; tax specialists; and founders, is exactly what helps women-led businesses thrive,” said Strachan. “It’s about building networks that actually work for women, not just talking about change.”
A Call for Action
The event concluded with a clear message: more women need to be on both sides of the table, as founders and as funders. The group are enabling greater awareness around angel investing, better support for cross-border business planning, and deeper collaboration between advisors, networks, and investors.
The New York gathering marks the beginning of a broader series of planned conversations and collaborations between Mint Ventures and Tax Professionals, supported by SBN, Globalscots and the wider community focused on breaking down the barriers that hold back ambitious, high-growth women-led businesses.
“This isn’t a one-off,” said Eddie. “We’re building something ongoing, support that spans countries, sectors, and systems.”
Backing Bold Ideas: Women Leaders in New York Challenge Barriers to Investment
In the heart of Manhattan, a group of influential women gathered with a clear goal: to change the conversation, and outcomes, for female founders seeking investment.
The event, held at the offices of CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) during New York’s Tartan Week, was led by Professor Gillian Fleming, CEO of Mint Ventures, and Sarah Eddie, founder of SE Tax Professionals. Cath Strachan from the Scottish Business Network (SBN) supported the event.
Their message was simple and urgent: women-led businesses are still being left behind in the investment world, and one of the most effective ways to shift the tide is by having more women at the investor table.
A Transatlantic Push for Equity
This wasn’t a one-off gathering. It was part of a growing movement to create real, structural support for women founders, especially those scaling across borders.
“Too many high-potential businesses led by women are still underfunded,” said Gillian Fleming, whose firm Mint Ventures focuses on purpose-driven, female-founded startups. “We know the data. Women are building solid, scalable businesses, but the pipeline to capital remains clogged with bias.”
Fleming, an investor, professor, and longtime advocate, brings both insight and capital to the table. Mint Ventures uses a values-led approach to angel investing, targeting businesses often ignored by traditional networks.
Facing the Barriers Head-On
The event sparked candid conversations among founders, investors, and advisors. From entrenched bias and network gaps to the legal and tax complications of international fundraising, the barriers were clear and pressing.
That’s where Sarah Eddie plays a critical role.
As a dual-qualified UK and US tax advisor, Sarah helps founders navigate the often-overlooked financial and regulatory pitfalls of international growth. Her firm, SE Tax Professionals, works closely with entrepreneurs expanding across the Atlantic.
“Many of the business owners we support are considering expanding globally,” Sarah said. “But if you don’t structure things properly from day one, especially around investment and compliance, you can hit serious roadblocks.”
She also highlighted another key issue: access to trusted, timely advice. “Capital is important, but guidance is just as vital. Founders need the right support and advice at the start of their journey, before they make costly mistakes.”
Case Study – Selaura
One of the entrepreneurs supported by Mint Ventures is Morven Shaw, founder of Selaura, a pioneering supplement brand designed to support women through menopause. Morven presented her business at the New York event, showcasing not only the product’s potential but also her ambition to scale into the US market. Backed by Mint Ventures, she received direct feedback on her pitch and was introduced to key contacts who can help her navigate the next stage of international growth.
“Being supported by Mint Ventures has given me the confidence and connections to think bigger,” said Morven. “The feedback I received and the networks I tapped into during Tartan Week have opened real doors for Selaura’s expansion.”
Case Study – Old Smokey
We were also treated to samples of a new whisky brand: Old Smokey another company looking at growth opportunities in the US market.
Women Backing Women
The event also highlighted the power of collaboration. With support from Cath Strachan of SBN, the discussion underscored how Scottish business leaders are building international bridges, especially during global events like Tartan Week.
Together, Gillian, Sarah, and Cath made the case for a joined-up approach: investors, advisors, and networks working together to create tangible change for women-led ventures.
“When women are in the room, writing cheques, asking questions, backing each other, the results are different,” said Gillian. “This isn’t just about funding. It’s about shifting influence.”
A Clear Challenge
The afternoon closed with a call to action: more women need to become investors, and the investment world, on both sides of the Atlantic, needs to take a hard look at how and where capital flows.
Mint Ventures is leading efforts to demystify angel investing for women, encouraging wider participation and growing the pool of female investors with a pioneering training programme. Meanwhile, Sarah continues to equip women-led businesses with the advice and structures they need to grow safely and smartly.
“Supporting female founders isn’t just about fairness,” said Sarah. “It’s smart business. These companies are investable, they just need to be seen.”
As the New York skyline lit up, one thing was clear: this event wasn’t the end of a conversation. It was the start of a movement.
About Mint Ventures
Mint Ventures is a women-led angel investment group and educational movement based in Scotland that backs early-stage, purpose-led businesses with at least one woman in the founding team. The firm champions ESG-led investing and is committed to increasing the number of women angel investors.
About SE Tax Professionals
Founded by dual-qualified UK/US tax advisor Sarah Eddie, SE Tax Professionals is a boutique advisory firm helping business owners and founders navigate international tax and compliance. The firm supports cross-border growth for high-net-worth clients with ambitions to scale globally.
About Scottish Business Network (SBN)
The Scottish Business Network is an international organisation that supports the growth of Scottish-led businesses by connecting entrepreneurs and business leaders around the world. Through global events, partnerships, and introductions, SBN helps drive impact and opportunity.
