Top UK LGBTQ+ Founders
At WERKIN, we believe it’s crucial to recognise and celebrate LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs all year round, rather than confining the celebration to specific times of the year like Pride or LGBT History Month. Celebrating the achievements of LGBTQ+ founders and business owners in the UK and across Europe, not only brings visibility to their accomplishments but also highlights the challenges they have faced and continue to face in the business world.
WERKIN has put together a list of Top UK LGBTQ+ Founders who are making a significant impact in their respective industries. From tech startups to social enterprises, these founders are leading the way in creating innovative solutions, driving growth, and paving the way for a more inclusive and diverse future.
One of WERKIN’s goals is to normalise LGBTQ+ representation in the workforce and promote diversity and inclusivity in business. We hope that highlighting the work of these founders will inspire and encourage other LGBTQ+ individuals to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams and feel empowered to break down barriers.
By recognising and celebrating LGBTQ+ founders and business owners year-round we aim to encourage others to demonstrate a commitment to creating more equitable and inclusive professional environments and acknowledge the incredible work and contributions that these and other LGBTQ+ founders make to society as a whole.
Listed in alphabetical order.
Asher Ismail - Co-Founder of Uncapped
Asher Ismail is a coach to Series A+ Founders and top CEOs. He also built three startups/scaleups including Uncapped (UK’s fastest growing fintech 2021). Asher learnt that traditional funding options don’t work for many businesses, so he aims to transform fundraising with Uncapped - a revenue-based finance provider which allows founders to raise growth capital without giving up control of their business.
Benjamin Cohen - Founder and CEO of PinkNews
Benjamin Cohen is an entrepreneur and media expert who campaigns on disability and LGBTQ+ rights. He founded LGBTQ+ news site PinkNews as the “brand for the next generation”, and those who share the core values of Gen Z and Millennials. PinkNews now has 100 million+ global unique users a month across all their platforms.
Christian Angermayer - Founder of Apeiron Investment Group
Christian Angermayer is a founder who invests in life sciences, fintech, AI, psychedelics and cryptocurrencies through his family office Apeiron Investment Group, with a mission to build companies that are “shaping the next human agenda”. His investments are focused on sustainable and responsible capitalism, and centre around the theme of happiness.
Christopher El Badaoui - Co-Founder and CEO of LVNDR Health
Christopher co-founded LVNDR Health with Araxie Boyadjian as a fully remote, digital clinic haven for the LGBTQIA+ community. LVNDR is revolutionising holistic healthcare systems to improve the lives of queer and trans individuals across the globe, empowering users to take control of their health needs.
Chris King - Founder and CEO of Lightning Travel Recruitment
Chris is a neurodiverse trans non-binary business leader and one of LinkedIn’s Top 10 LGBTQ+ voices. They founded Lightning Travel Recruitment not only as a travel recruitment company but as a movement, to “send a jolt through the industry” and highlight the benefits businesses gain from embracing diversity and inclusion.
Eric Collins - Founder of Impact X Capital Partners LLP
Eric D. Collins is an investor, entrepreneur, author and host of Channel 4's The Money Maker. Eric founded Impact X Capital Partners LLP as a fund that would invest in diverse, underrepresented and undiscovered entrepreneurs across Europe, particularly the Afro-Caribbean diaspora. The fund’s mission is to create the extraordinary and impact the world.
Hayley Sudbury - Founder and CEO of WERKIN
Recognised alongside Tim Cook (CEO of Apple), as one of the Top 10 LGBT+ Tech Executives, Hayley Sudbury is a workplace equality advocate and longtime mentor. With an established career in financial services, she co-founded WERKIN as the digital standard for inclusive technology, leadership and workplace culture, with a focus on accelerating the careers of underrepresented groups and communities.
John Amaechi OBE - Founder of APS Intelligence Ltd
Professor John Amaechi is an organisational psychologist, best-selling New York Times author, mentor, public speaker, executive coach and former NBA player. Combing his deep psychological insight and real-life experience, John founded APS Intelligence - a multifaceted strategic consultancy solution, to provide a touchstone for people and companies who want to thrive, achieve, and align their beliefs, values and ethics. Photo: Courtesy of APS Intelligence
Joe McCanta - Co-Founder of Coast Drinks
Joe McCanta is a renowned global experience consultant in the food and beverage industry and key team member of the global Grey Goose team. Joe co-founded Coast Drinks with Richard Watson to create a world-leading mixer brand for a new generation of consumers looking for healthier, authentic brands that make a difference in the fight to keep our marine ecosystems clean. They also aim to become carbon neutral in 2023.
Jupiter Lee Butz - Founder of District Technologies
Reshaping the future of cities, Jupiter Lee Butz works at the intersection of cities and technology. They founded District Technologies, a community and smart buildings platform that helps office spaces reduce friction for people using them. Jupiter also founded Authentic Technologies, a tech studio that helps clients build products through data-informed decisions and authentic outcomes.
Lady Phyll (Phyllis Opoku-Gyimah) - Co-Founder and Director of Black Pride
Phyllis Opoku-Gyimah is a pioneering activist who increased visibility and advocacy for the QTIPOC communities. In a landmark achievement, she co-founded Black Pride, the first event of its kind in Europe, which celebrates LGBTQ+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent and promotes and advocates for the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual health and wellbeing of these communities. She is also Executive Director at Kaleidoscope Trust, a UK charity focused on fighting for LGBT+ human rights.
Lindsey McInerney - Founder of Black Sun Labs and Co-Founder of Sixth Wall
Lindsey McInerney is a tech visionary who has built hyper-growth startups, advised Fortune 500 companies, the Royal Family and the United Nations, and spends her career helping people understand the impact of evolving technologies and adopt them early. Founder and CEO of Black Sun Labs, she is also Co-Founder and CEO of Sixth Wall, the digital arm of Mila Kunis' Orchard Farm Productions - one of the few all-female crypto teams out there.
Mary Portas - Founder of Portas
Mary Portas is one of the UK's most high-profile businesswomen. After making her name transforming Harvey Nichols into London's sexiest fashion destination, Mary founded Portas, a creative retail consultancy with a mission to combine commercial smarts with social progress, beauty, and joy, and to transform businesses into brands, places, and spaces that people want in their lives.
Nick Telson - Co-Founder of trumpet
Co-Founder of trumpet and Angel Investor – Nick Telson is an exited founder from DesignMyNight and has since invested in over 55 startups across the globe, through his investment arm, Horseplay Ventures. He co-founded his 2nd startup, trumpet, in the sales operations space, as a way to disrupt the whole buyer journey from cold outreach all the way to onboarding.
Paff Evara - Co-Founder of Take Up Space
As a queer, Black and neurodivergent creator, Paff uses their story to inspire others to step into their power. Paff cofounded Taking Up Space as a community, media company and network for diverse change-makers & creators, with a mission to build a more equitable creator economy, heal through community and empower BIPOC & LGBTQIA+ folks to take up more space!
Rachel Murphy - Venture Builder and Founder of The Grafter
Rachel is a public speaker, author, health tech advisor, and also provides mentoring and consultancy for founders of professional service businesses. She also founded, built and sold award-winning digital services company, Difrent - in 1000 days. Difrent partnered with Tech For Good organisations to transform businesses, inspired by Rachel’s passion to bring user needs, service design and acute delivery together for clients. She also founded The Grafter, a business consultancy providing mentoring, advice and public speaking.
Suki Sandhu OBE - Founder of INvolve and Audeliss
Suki is an author and talent, diversity and inclusion expert. He founded INvolve and Audeliss to drive cultural change, create inclusive workplaces and support organisations to help disadvantaged communities. Audeliss is a global executive search firm levelling the playing field for women, ethnic minorities and LGBT+ at senior levels, and INvolve is a global inclusion consulting firm championing diversity and inclusion in business.