SPARK 2.0 Women and Entrepreneurship Panel: Navigating Challenges and Accelerating Growth
Join us for a practical and candid conversation on women and entrepreneurship, bringing together founders and ecosystem leaders who are actively building and supporting ventures across sectors including climate technology, health innovation, and early-stage venture development.
This session will explore the realities of starting and scaling a business as a woman, from navigating uncertainty and accessing networks to building resilience, securing support, and moving from concept to commercialisation. Drawing on the experiences of founders and programme leaders within the Cambridge entrepreneurship ecosystem, the discussion will focus on actionable insights and the structures that meaningfully support entrepreneurial growth.
The conversation is designed for founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, and members of the broader innovation ecosystem who are interested in understanding the practical pathways involved in building ventures today.
Speaker Bios:
Ali Draycott, Co-Founder, Egg Advisor
Ali Draycott is a founder focused on improving transparency and decision-making in women’s health. She is the co-founder of Egg Advisor, a platform designed to help individuals better understand and manage fertility preservation options through accessible information and expert support.
Her work began as a personal effort to navigate the complexity of the fertility landscape and evolved into a venture addressing a broader gap in awareness, access, and informed choice for women. Ali is part of the inaugural SPARK incubator at the University of Cambridge, where she is developing her venture and engaging with the entrepreneurship ecosystem to bring innovative solutions to market.
She is particularly interested in empowering women to make confident, well-informed decisions about their futures and in advancing more open conversations around women’s health, entrepreneurship, and long-term planning.
Rana Hajirasouli, Founder and CEO, The Surpluss | ClimateTech Entrepreneur | Systems Engineer
Rana Hajirasouli is the founder and CEO of The Surpluss, a climate technology company focused on transforming industrial waste into valuable resources through digital industrial symbiosis. Her work sits at the intersection of sustainability, engineering, and innovation, helping organisations reduce waste, optimise resource use, and accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
She is a sustainability and energy systems engineer and a PhD researcher, with experience advising governments, industries, and international organisations on decarbonisation and resource management strategies. Her work combines technical expertise with entrepreneurial execution, translating complex environmental challenges into scalable business solutions.
Rana is a strong advocate for women in technology and climate innovation, and she frequently contributes to conversations on sustainable growth, inclusive entrepreneurship, and the role of deep-tech ventures in addressing global environmental challenges.
Francesca Hodgson - SPARK Incubator Programme Director | Entrepreneur, Executive Coach and Entrepreneurship Mentor
Francesca Hodgson is the Programme Director of SPARK, the incubator run by King’s E-Lab at King’s College, Cambridge. She is an entrepreneur, executive coach, and entrepreneurship mentor with extensive experience supporting early-stage founders as they refine their commercial strategy, strengthen execution, and prepare for investment.
She previously co-founded GoodBox, a fintech company that pioneered contactless donations in the non-profit sector, and has since gone on to work across venture, coaching, and founder support through her consultancy, We are Ambition. Her work is centred on helping ambitious founders build clarity, resilience, and momentum as they grow their ventures.
Through SPARK and her broader work in the Cambridge entrepreneurship ecosystem, Francesca brings a practical perspective on venture building, founder development, and the support structures that help early-stage businesses move from concept to commercialisation.
WHEN: Wednesday 8th April 2026
12.00PM - 1.00PM: Online Zoom Webinar