Together We Build: A Fairer Path to Finance for Welsh Entrepreneurs

Global Entrepreneurship Week is a moment to celebrate ideas, resilience, and the people who choose to build something meaningful. This year’s theme, “Together We Build”, aligns directly with the mission of The CAE and the challenges we see Welsh entrepreneurs face every day.

In Wales, small businesses do more than drive the economy. They sustain communities, protect local identity, and create opportunities where they are most needed. Yet, despite that importance, one barrier continues to hold too many people back:

Fair access to finance.

This is the challenge we hear frequently from those who come through our doors at The CAE:

“I know what I need to grow. I just can’t access the finance to get there.”

Not because their ideas lack strength.Not because they lack talent.But because the financial system was never designed with them in mind.

Finance Is More Than Capital

After more than a decade working alongside individuals who want to start or grow a business, we’ve learned that finance isn’t only about money. It is about confidence, stability, and the chance to move forward.

When finance is out of reach, opportunities shrink, not ambition.

We see this reality in:

• Entrepreneurs rejected for lacking collateral

• Women and ethnic minority founders facing disproportionate barriers

• Individuals on low incomes attempting to balance entrepreneurship with financial survival

• Rural founders whose ideas outweigh the limitations imposed by geography

These barriers are structural, not personal. And this is exactly why “Together We Build” resonates so strongly.

The CAE’s Approach: Community-Led Finance

The CAE has spent ten years developing a supportive ecosystem that adapts to the needs of the entrepreneur. It is a model shaped by trust, cultural understanding, and genuine community engagement.

This commitment now continues with the creation of the CAE Investment Fund — designed to:

• Remove unnecessary barriers

• Build confidence, not pressure

• Offer culturally aware, relationship-based support

• Provide access for those long overlooked by traditional finance systems

We believe access to finance should be an enabler, not an obstacle.

That belief is shared by partners such as Purple Shoots, who demonstrate the power of microfinance and community-first lending. And it is reinforced by the entrepreneurs we work with, whose journeys inspire and sharpen our approach.

Together We Build Means No One Builds Alone

If Wales is to grow sustainably, entrepreneurship must be accessible rather than exclusive. Achieving that requires:

• Financial systems that meet people where they are

• Support that reflects diverse lived experiences

• A fairer, more human approach to assessing potential

• Communities that elevate and empower one another

At The CAE, this is not simply a theme for a week. It is the foundation of our work.

Every workshop, every consultation, every story of resilience contributes to a wider message:

Wales is stronger when we build it together.

A Conversation We Explore Further

This topic is explored in depth in the latest episode of Small Business Voices Wales, where we discuss the realities of accessing finance in Wales and what needs to change.

Listen to the episode here:https://smallbusinessvoiceswales.podbean.com/

Looking Ahead

This Global Entrepreneurship Week, let’s do more than celebrate entrepreneurship. Let’s commit to reshaping it.

Let’s build communities where ideas can grow, where finance is accessible, and where every founder — regardless of background — has a fair chance to succeed.

“Together We Build” does not begin with institutions. It begins with people.It begins with us.It begins with The CAE.