Following an intensive inquiry over two years, a review has concluded that significant financial, operational, and accessibility barriers are holding back the nation’s disabled-led businesses
An independent, Government-backed review is calling for bold and urgent action to empower millions of disabled entrepreneurs across the country, combat inequality and drive business revenue growth.
Following an intensive inquiry over two years, The Lilac Review has concluded that significant financial, operational, and accessibility barriers are holding back the nation’s disabled-led businesses.
It is issuing over 20 recommendations for government, financial institutions, and business support organisations to build a more inclusive economy. This includes targeted financial support, enhanced accessibility, and inclusive support networks and procurement, alongside efforts to boost fairer trade and unlock the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation.
Disabled entrepreneurs represent 25% of the UK’s 5.45 million small businesses, but just 8.6% of business turnover.
The Lilac Review – launched in February 2024 to raise opportunity for disabled founders – estimates that removing these obstacles could unlock £230 billion in additional UK business revenue.
The Lilac Review’s final report outlines bold and practical recommendations across a number of areas, including inclusive finance, social capital and mentoring, AI, Government and private procurement, and localised and accessible business support.
In its research, undertaken by ARU Peterborough academics and Small Business Britain with support from Lloyds – which surveyed 750 disabled entrepreneurs – the Lilac Review found significant ambition for future growth, with 73% wanting to boost revenues and 44% keen to expand.
But despite the resilience shown by disabled founders their path to growth and securing funding is often harder due to additional and complex barriers. And over half (57%) of respondents identified financial support as their critical need for the coming year.
Factors such as a higher likelihood of economic disadvantage, the ongoing costs of managing a disability, fear of losing essential welfare or benefits, and potential future gaps in productivity due to health conditions were found to be key factors contributing to a systemically unequal financial landscape that urgently demands attention.
Earlier research from Access2Finance starkly underlines this inequality, by revealing disabled founders are 400 times less likely to secure investment than non-disabled counterparts. And this gap can widen as businesses scale, with angel investment, venture capital, and accelerator-linked funding remaining largely inaccessible. Often, disabled founders are excluded not just by bias or assumptions, but by inaccessible pitch processes, unclear eligibility criteria, or inflexible application formats.
Alongside a host of targeted support and tailored solutions one key recommendation from the review is to enhance the reach and impact of the new Disability Finance Code (DFCE), in partnership with UK Finance, the British Business Bank and investors. Launched last December to bring down barriers to accessing finance and financial support – with backing from Barclays, HSBC UK, Lloyds and NatWest – the Code represents a major achievement from the Lilac Review already driving change.
The Lilac Review also concluded greater access to peer-led business networks and mentorship could offer a profound opportunity for disabled entrepreneurs. Half (51%) said bridging this gap would benefit them – particularly in helping build ‘social capital’, a subtle, but essential agent for growth that disabled founders can often lack.
The Lilac Review is also advocating for greater investment and innovation in inclusive AI training and skills development and AI powered assistive technology, as well as placing accessibility and inclusion at the heart of AI policy and product development. Over half (54%) of disabled founders now see technology playing a major role in their future operations, with separate research from Small Business Britain and BT showing 64% are already making use of AI.
The Lilac Review has been jointly chaired by the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports, Gareth Thomas and Victoria Jenkins, CEO and Founder of adaptive fashion brand Unhidden. A number of prominent disabled founders have sat on the Review’s Steering Board, alongside representatives from the wider business community and UK including: Small Business Britain, Lloyds, eBay, BT, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), The Entrepreneurs Network, Business Disability Forum, and ARU Peterborough.
As the Lilac Review moves to the next phase of its work it has announced the launch of The LILAC Centre for disabled Entrepreneurship – the UK’s first flagship business incubator and research centre dedicated to advancing the success of disabled entrepreneurs. With a hybrid physical and virtual model, hosted at ARU Peterborough and Small Business Britain, the Centre will champion innovation, leadership and inclusive enterprise.
The Lilac Review has also signalled an intention to launch a Disability Trading Framework, following the development of this in 2025 to support inclusive procurement and supplier diversity, particularly as a benchmark for the private sector and a recommendation for Government.
For more information on The Lilac Review visit https://lilacreview.com/final-report
Gareth Thomas, Minister for Small Businesses and Co-chair of The Lilac Review, said: “I’m proud to have co-chaired The Lilac Review and welcome its valuable insights and recommendations to help empower disabled entrepreneurship, tackle inequality, and unlock growth opportunities.
“Through our Plan for Change, this government is committed to delivering further and faster economic growth. A key part of this is ensuring that those with the ambition to start and scale up a business have the right support to do so, no matter their background or circumstances.”
Victoria Jenkins, Co-Chair of The Lilac Review and Founder of Unhidden, added: “Disabled entrepreneurs are innovative, impactful, and growing. Yet we remain underrepresented, underfunded, and underestimated. The Lilac Review is a bold and necessary step toward recognising the unique challenges that disabled entrepreneurs face— and more importantly, toward removing them.
“The findings of this report are clear: change is needed—not later, but now. That means inclusive finance, accessible business support, and communities that empower rather than exclude. It has been an honour to co-chair this review, and I hope the voices within it spark action, partnership, and a fundamental rethinking of what opportunity should look like—for everyone.”