The Lilac Review has published its final report, with a call 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.
The final report issues over 20 recommendations for central and local 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 - that 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. Indeed, Disabled people on average face an additional £1,010 a month in costs due to the 'Disability Price Tag', before business costs.
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 need for embedding inclusivity at the heart of all future business support to build equity and opportunity was also emphasised, following data showing 35% of Disabled entrepreneurs find current programmes inaccessible.
Further research by Small Business Britain for The Lilac Review also revealed deep concerns about the future accessibility of business support efforts, particularly Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives that have been growing access and support for Disabled founders in recent years. Two-thirds (67%) expressed worry that heightened international scrutiny of DEI could negatively impact UK businesses, with half fearing a personal impact.
Yet amid these concerns, The Lilac Review also recognised encouraging examples of organisations seizing this moment to enhance their DEI practices and deepen engagement as a reaction to the current debate.
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. This recognises the transformative potential of AI to level the business playing field, especially given rapid adoption and awareness of AI in recent years. 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.
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, said:
"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."
A major new independent review into addressing and overcoming the inequality faced by disabled-led businesses has been launched.
Disabled entrepreneurs currently account for an estimated a 25% of the nation's 5.5million small businesses but represent only 8.6% of total small business turnover. Small Business Britain estimates suggest that levelling up opportunity could unlock an additional £230 billion in business turnover.
The Lilac Review aims to identify, and seek to break down, challenges faced by disabled entrepreneurs. Issuing an action plan to drive greater change across entrepreneurship it will call for organisations across the UK to commit to a series of goals.
Jointly chaired by the Minister for Small Business, Kevin Hollinrake, the Minister for Disabled People, Mims Davies and Victoria Jenkins, CEO and Founder of adaptive fashion brand Unhidden. The Lilac Review launched on 1 February 2024 and will take place over an initial two-year period.
Kevin Hollinrake MP, Minister for Small Business and Co-Chair of The Lilac Review said:
"We are committed to ensuring the UK is the best place in the world for anyone who wants to start and scale up a business.
"That's why I am delighted to co-chair The Lilac Review to support the UK's disabled entrepreneurs so they can follow their passion and create their own success story, without restrictions or barriers."
Following research and consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders - particularly disabled entrepreneurs - interim research findings will be shared later this year, with a final report and recommendations set for the end of 2025.
The need for The Lilac Review was highlighted by the Disability and Entrepreneurship report, launched by Small Business Britain in March 2023 in partnership with Lloyds Bank.
Consulting over 500 disabled founders across the country - in one of the largest studies of its kind in the UK - the report found disabled entrepreneurs face significant barriers to start and grow businesses, such as higher start-up costs, challenges accessing funding and support, as well as a lack of credit by wider society. While 35 per cent of founders said their disability has positively impacted them as an entrepreneur, over half said they had no external support when starting up, 72 per cent lacked appropriate role models to guide them and 55 per cent received no financial support.
Earlier research from the Access 2 Funding campaign also shows that 84 per cent of disabled founders don't feel they have equal access to the same opportunities and resources as non-disabled founders. While further research also shows that disabled people on average face an additional £975 a month in costs due to the 'Disability Price Tag', before business costs.
Victoria Jenkins, CEO and Founder of Unhidden and Co-Chair of The Lilac Review said:
"The contribution of the disabled community to society is so much higher than people are made aware of. To be able to help remove some, or all of, the barriers that are impacting us is a lifelong mission of mine and so many others. We are also worth more than what we can, or can't, contribute from a financial respect and I hope to highlight that as well over the next two years, alongside powerful and important voices in the community."
Driven by insight from disabled entrepreneurs, a wide audience of stakeholders will be consulted as part of The Lilac Review's research into the challenges and solutions in this area.
A number of disabled founders will sit on the Review's Steering Board, as well as representatives from the wider business community and UK Government including: Small Business Britain, Lloyds Bank, eBay, BT, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), British Chamber of Commerce (BCC), The Entrepreneurs Network, Business Disability Forum, and academics from ARU Peterborough university.
Minister for Disabled People and Co-Chair of The Lilac Review Mims Davies MP said:
"Disabled entrepreneurs currently make up a quarter of all small business owners - they are at the heart of our economy and its paramount they get every opportunity to succeed and thrive in their sectors.
"I'm delighted to be co-chairing the Lilac Review, which will help us make sure the UK is the best place to do business and to be a disabled entrepreneur - where your ideas and endeavours will be supported."
Once published, The Lilac Review will share recommendations for supporting disabled entrepreneurs and a call-to-action for driving positive change across society - particularly around accessibility and inclusion in entrepreneurship.
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