BTO Solicitors LLP has announced it has joined the Pathways Pledge as part of its seventh cohort, supporting a network of organisations working to widen access to entrepreneurship across Scotland.
Over the next year, this new group will support Pathways Forward’s mission to deliver systemic change for entrepreneurs by boosting access to opportunity, networks and investment for female-led and founded businesses.
BTO said its involvement complements the work the team is already doing to drive inclusion and diversity.
As advisers to high-growth businesses, investors and founders, BTO works closely with companies at key stages of their development. This provides the firm with direct insight into the opportunities and barriers that shape entrepreneurial growth.
 Jen Paton, a partner in BTO’s corporate team, said, “Through our work with founders and investors, we see where ambition can stall, particularly at the point where access to networks, capital and specialist advice becomes critical to growth. Initiatives like the Pathways Pledge matter because they focus on strengthening those connections and widening access to opportunity. As advisers embedded in the entrepreneurial landscape, we have a role to play in supporting that shift.”
Fellow cohort members include The Glasgow School of Art, Nile and Maven Capital Partners. BTO will work alongside these organisations – and the wider Pledge community – to strengthen the conditions for female-led businesses to start, scale and succeed.
Caroline Carr, partner and chair at BTO, added, “The Pathways Report (and the Rose Review that came before it) highlighted the under-participation of women in entrepreneurship across the UK. As trusted advisers within the entrepreneurial community, we’re excited to work with others in our cohort – and beyond – to turn ambition into action and help ensure the pathways into entrepreneurship are open to everyone.”
