Workplace equality has made significant progress over the past decade. However, the gender pay gap, unequal career progression, and the emerging AI skills gap continue to limit opportunities for millions of women worldwide. While governments introduce new legislation to improve workplace transparency, many organisations still struggle to transform compliance into meaningful change. At the same time, women often lack the personalised tools, guidance, and support needed to navigate these evolving workplace challenges.

Recognising this opportunity, entrepreneur and Founder Liz Hunter launched Nuala, an innovative AI startup designed to help women close the interconnected pay, career, and AI gaps. Built around the upcoming EU Pay Transparency Directive, Nuala combines artificial intelligence, personalised career guidance, workplace insights, and HR compliance support into one intelligent platform. Rather than viewing legislation as another administrative burden, the company transforms regulatory change into an opportunity for women and employers to build fairer, more inclusive workplaces.

With more than twenty-five years of experience leading creative teams for global brands and hypergrowth technology companies, Liz brings deep commercial expertise alongside lived experience of workplace inequality. Her entrepreneurial journey reflects a growing movement of experienced professionals who choose to build startups that create measurable social impact while solving genuine business challenges.

In this exclusive interview with The Founder’s Story, Founder Liz Hunter shares the story behind Nuala, explains why the pay, career, and AI gaps must be addressed together, and discusses how technology can empower women while helping organisations create lasting workplace equality.

TFS: Liz, welcome to The Founder’s Story. It is a pleasure to have you with us today.

Liz Hunter: Thank you so much. I’m delighted to be here and excited to share the Nuala story.

TFS: Your startup combines artificial intelligence, workplace equality, and career development in a unique way. It also arrives at an important moment as new European legislation reshapes workplace transparency. We’re looking forward to exploring your entrepreneurial journey and learning how Nuala aims to create meaningful change for women and employers alike.

Liz Hunter: Thank you. That mission is exactly why I started the company, and I’m looking forward to discussing it.

TFS: You spent 25 years as a creative copywriter, including leading copy teams at hypergrowth companies like Revolut and Multiplier. What was the exact moment you decided to leave that world behind and build Nuala instead?

Liz Hunter: The defining moment came in April this year when I recognised a genuine gap in the market that nobody seemed to be addressing. Throughout my career, I had witnessed the gender pay gap, unequal career progression, and the growing AI skills gap affecting women across different organisations. Then I realised these challenges required a practical solution rather than another conversation. That insight gave me the confidence to step away from my permanent leadership role and begin building Nuala.

Today, I am bootstrapping the startup while also working two days each week as a Fractional Copy Lead to support the business financially. Although entrepreneurship brings uncertainty, I genuinely believe I made the right decision. Every conversation with potential users reinforces that belief because women need tools that help them navigate changing workplaces with confidence. My Founder journey has only just begun, but the purpose behind Nuala makes every challenge worthwhile.

TFS: You’ve said the EU Pay Transparency Directive was a “lightbulb moment” for you. Can you walk us through what clicked that day, and why legislation — rather than personal experience — became the trigger to finally act?

Liz Hunter: Although my own experiences certainly influenced me, the EU Pay Transparency Directive became the catalyst that transformed frustration into action. I reached a point where I simply thought, “Enough is enough.” Then I began studying the legislation more closely and realised it represented much more than another reporting requirement. Unlike many policies, this directive includes mandatory action. Organisations with an unexplained gender pay gap of five percent or more must address it, and further assessments follow if progress does not happen.

Considering that the average gender pay gap across Europe remains significantly higher than five percent, I immediately recognised the scale of the opportunity. HR teams would soon face increasing pressure, while millions of women would receive information without necessarily knowing how to respond. I searched for a solution that empowered women alongside employers, yet nothing existed. That absence inspired me to build Nuala. I wanted legislation to become a practical opportunity rather than an overwhelming compliance exercise.

TFS: Building a company later in your career is still relatively rare in tech. What did your years of lived experience give you as a Founder that a 25-year-old first-timer simply wouldn’t have?

Liz Hunter: Firstly, I genuinely believe both younger and more experienced entrepreneurs bring valuable perspectives to the startup ecosystem. Age alone never determines whether someone will become a successful Founder. However, my twenty-five years of professional experience have given me something extremely powerful: a deep personal connection to the problem I am solving. I have experienced workplace sexism, unequal opportunities, and career barriers throughout my own journey, so Nuala reflects challenges I genuinely understand.

At the same time, I also recognise my own privilege as a white woman. Women of colour often experience additional layers of inequality that deserve far greater attention. That awareness constantly reminds me to build an inclusive product shaped by diverse voices rather than my own experiences alone. Experience has also strengthened my resilience. I have managed teams, navigated complex organisations, and learned how businesses operate. Those lessons now help me make thoughtful decisions as both an entrepreneur and Founder building a mission-driven AI startup.

TFS: Nuala sits at the intersection of three gaps: pay, career, and AI. Why did you decide these three needed to be tackled together instead of as three separate problems?

Liz Hunter: Very early in my research, I realised these three challenges constantly reinforce one another rather than existing independently. The gender pay gap sits at the centre because legislation is now generating unprecedented workplace transparency. However, unequal pay rarely appears without deeper causes. Career progression often comes first. If women are not promoted at the same rate as men, they naturally miss salary increases, leadership opportunities, and long-term financial growth.

Alongside those challenges, the AI gap is becoming an increasingly powerful accelerator. As organisations adopt artificial intelligence more rapidly, women risk falling further behind if they lack equal access to AI skills, education, and practical tools. Therefore, addressing only one issue would never create lasting change. Nuala brings together career development, AI capability, and pay transparency because meaningful workplace equality depends on solving all three together. That integrated approach sits at the heart of both our product strategy and our long-term Founder vision.

TFS: Liz, your journey demonstrates that meaningful innovation often begins with recognising connections that others overlook. Rather than treating workplace inequality as separate problems, you have built Nuala around a much broader vision for lasting change.

Liz Hunter: Exactly. These issues are deeply interconnected, so the solutions should be too. That belief continues to guide every decision we make as we build the company.

TFS: The “AI gap” for women is a newer part of this story. What are you seeing happen right now that convinced you AI adoption itself risks becoming another axis of workplace inequality?

Liz Hunter: The AI gap is probably the issue that concerns me most today because it has the potential to widen existing workplace inequalities at an unprecedented pace. The World Economic Forum previously estimated that closing the global gender gap could take more than a century. However, without intentional action, the rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence could slow that progress even further. Women remain underrepresented in AI development, while many also face greater risks from workplace automation and lower adoption of advanced AI tools.

That combination creates a perfect storm. If women are not actively encouraged to build AI skills, they risk missing future career opportunities and leadership positions. Therefore, I believe we urgently need AI products designed by women, for women. Nuala aims to become part of that solution by helping women confidently adopt AI rather than allowing technology to become another barrier to workplace equality.

TFS: You’ve spoken openly about experiencing sexist treatment and the pay and promotion gap firsthand. How much of Nuala’s product decisions come directly from your own career, versus from what you’re hearing in user research?

Liz Hunter: My own career certainly inspired the original concept because I understood many of these challenges personally. However, building a successful startup requires much more than personal experience. Once the initial vision was established, we deliberately shifted our focus towards continuous customer discovery and user research. Every feature we develop, every improvement we prioritise, and every product decision we make now comes directly from conversations with real users.

We are incredibly fortunate to work alongside Zade, our outstanding product studio and technology partner, who continually supports our customer discovery process. Those insights help us validate assumptions before investing valuable development time. At the same time, it is important to remember that Nuala is a B2B2C platform. Therefore, we design for two audiences simultaneously. We empower women with practical tools while also helping HR leaders improve retention, reduce attrition, develop AI-skilled female talent, and comply with evolving legislation. User research remains central to every stage of our Founder journey.

TFS: Nuala is described as a B2B2C workplace benefit. Walk us through how that model actually works — who pays, who uses it, and why that structure was the right one to close these gaps at scale.

Liz Hunter: From the beginning, we believed employers should invest in creating fairer workplaces because they ultimately shape organisational culture, career progression, and compensation decisions. Therefore, companies purchase Nuala as an employee benefit, while women within those organisations receive direct access to the platform. That structure allows us to support meaningful organisational change while simultaneously empowering individual users.

Unlike many existing workplace equality solutions, which simply generate compliance reports for employers, Nuala puts practical tools directly into the hands of women. We help employers satisfy regulatory requirements, but we also help employees develop their careers, strengthen AI skills, and better understand their workplace opportunities. Looking ahead, we also intend to introduce a direct-to-consumer option so women can continue using the platform after changing employers. However, launching as a B2B2C startup allows us to create scalable impact where organisational change begins while ensuring women remain at the centre of every decision.

TFS: You’re currently in the user research phase and building a pilot client list. What’s the single biggest assumption about the product that’s already been challenged or changed by real conversations with users?

Liz Hunter: One of the most valuable lessons from our customer discovery process has been around pricing. Like many first-time founders, I initially developed assumptions about what organisations would be willing to pay. However, after speaking directly with potential customers, I realised we needed to adjust our pricing strategy to better reflect market expectations and encourage broader adoption.

Although that may sound like a relatively small change, it reinforced an important entrepreneurial lesson. Founders should never become emotionally attached to their original assumptions. Instead, they should allow evidence and customer feedback to shape the product continuously. Every conversation helps us build something more relevant, accessible, and valuable for both employers and employees. As we continue expanding our pilot programme, I fully expect more assumptions to evolve. That process is not a setback. Rather, it is exactly how thoughtful startups build products that genuinely solve real-world problems.

TFS: Pay transparency legislation is spreading across Europe. How does Nuala turn a compliance requirement that companies might resent into something HR and People teams actually want to champion?

Liz Hunter: We want HR and People teams to see Nuala as much more than a compliance platform. While the EU Pay Transparency Directive introduces important reporting obligations, we believe organisations should also view it as an opportunity to strengthen workplace culture and improve employee trust. Therefore, our platform helps HR teams stay ahead of compliance deadlines while reducing administrative pressure through intelligent workflows and practical support.

Beyond compliance, Nuala delivers measurable business value. We provide anonymised benchmarking, help organisations improve employee satisfaction, reduce costly attrition, and create more AI-skilled female leaders. Those outcomes benefit employees and employers alike. Whether an organisation already champions workplace equality or is just beginning that journey, Nuala provides practical tools that support lasting change. As a Founder, I want companies to adopt our platform because they recognise the human and commercial value it creates, not simply because legislation requires action.

TFS: You’re preparing for your first fundraise. What has surprised you most about how investors respond to a mission-led business tackling workplace inequality, versus a “pure” productivity or AI play?

Liz Hunter: At the moment, I haven’t officially started fundraising because our pre-seed round begins in September. Therefore, I am approaching this stage with excitement, curiosity, and realistic expectations. While many people assume investors only focus on financial returns, I believe there is growing recognition that mission-led startups can also build highly successful businesses with significant commercial potential.

I’m particularly looking forward to meeting both female and male investors who genuinely connect with Nuala’s vision. Workplace equality should never be viewed as a niche issue because it directly influences talent retention, productivity, leadership diversity, and long-term organisational performance. Those are business outcomes that every company cares about. My hope is to build relationships with investors who understand that solving the gender pay gap, career gap, and AI gap represents not only a meaningful social mission but also a substantial market opportunity. I believe purpose and profitability can absolutely grow together.

TFS: As a first-time Founder navigating SEIS/EIS advance assurance and all the fundraising mechanics for the first time, what’s been the steepest part of that learning curve?

Liz Hunter: Fortunately, I haven’t had to navigate every challenge entirely on my own. One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned during this Founder journey is the importance of asking for help from people who have already walked the path before you. We received incredible support from FounderCatalyst throughout our SEIS and EIS Advance Assurance process, and that guidance made an enormous difference during what could otherwise have been an overwhelming experience.

Equally valuable has been the incredible support offered by female founder communities. Organisations such as Female Founders Rise, NOON, and Let’s Fund Her have provided practical advice, encouragement, valuable introductions, and a genuine sense of community. Entrepreneurship can often feel lonely, especially during the early stages of building a startup. However, surrounding yourself with experienced founders creates confidence while accelerating your learning. Those communities remind you that success rarely happens in isolation and that collaboration often becomes one of a founder’s greatest competitive advantages.

TFS: If you had to pitch Nuala in one sentence to a room of investors who’ve never thought about the gender pay gap as a business opportunity, what would you say?

Liz Hunter: I would keep it very simple because the opportunity speaks for itself.

“New EU legislation requires employers to report their gender pay gap. Nuala helps HR teams stay compliant while empowering women to close the pay, career, and AI gaps for good.”

That single sentence captures both our commercial opportunity and our social mission. We are not building software that simply produces another compliance report. Instead, we are creating an intelligent workplace platform that helps organisations respond to legislative change while simultaneously supporting the women those regulations are designed to benefit.

For investors, that represents a powerful combination of regulatory momentum, growing market demand, and meaningful long-term impact. For employers, it creates a practical solution to an increasingly important business challenge. For women, it provides personalised tools that support career progression, AI readiness, and workplace equality. That combination is what makes Nuala different, and it continues to shape every aspect of our startup story.

TFS: Picture Nuala five years from now, fully embedded in workplaces. What does success actually look like — is it a specific number closed on the pay gap, a shift in career progression data, or something less measurable?

Liz Hunter: Success means achieving measurable impact while also creating lasting cultural change. Naturally, I want to see significant improvements in gender pay equity, career progression, and AI adoption for women. However, those numbers only tell part of the story. Real success happens when organisations consistently create environments where women have equal opportunities to grow, lead, and thrive throughout their careers.

At Nuala, we intend to establish ambitious performance targets for ourselves while also helping companies define meaningful workplace equality goals. Every year, we plan to publish a Global Impact Report that demonstrates the progress our platform is helping create across industries. In addition, each client organisation will receive its own Annual Impact Report to present to leadership and board members. As a Founder, I believe transparency drives accountability. Therefore, success will be measured not only through data but also through the confidence, opportunities, and long-term career growth experienced by women using our platform.

TFS: What would you say to a woman reading this who feels like the system is stacked against her right now, today, before Nuala has scaled to help her?

Liz Hunter: The first thing I would say is that your feelings are completely valid. Many women have experienced workplace systems that were never designed with equality in mind. Therefore, if you sometimes feel frustrated, overlooked, or underestimated, you are certainly not imagining those experiences. At the same time, I genuinely believe meaningful change is possible, and we are already beginning to see important progress through new legislation, greater awareness, and stronger communities supporting women.

However, lasting change requires action as well as optimism. We cannot simply wait for workplaces to evolve on their own. Instead, we need to speak up, support one another, develop new skills, and actively participate in shaping a better future. One of my favourite sayings remains, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” That philosophy inspired me to build Nuala, and I hope it encourages other women to believe their voices, experiences, and ambitions matter. Together, we can build workplaces that genuinely work for everyone.

TFS: You’ve talked about the importance of finding the right support and tools as a female Founder. What’s the one piece of advice you’d give another woman considering a Founder journey later in her career, the way you did?

Liz Hunter: My biggest advice is simple: never try to build your entrepreneurial journey alone. There are extraordinary communities created specifically to support female founders, and joining those networks can transform both your confidence and your business. Throughout my own startup journey, I have benefited enormously from communities that openly share knowledge, celebrate progress, introduce investors, and encourage collaboration rather than competition.

I would strongly recommend organisations such as Female Founders Rise, NOON, and Let’s Fund Her because they provide far more than networking opportunities. They offer practical advice, mentorship, fundraising support, founder education, and genuine encouragement during difficult moments. Building a company later in your career can sometimes feel intimidating. However, your experience is one of your greatest strengths, not a disadvantage. As a Founder, I have learned that asking for support demonstrates wisdom rather than weakness. The right community will remind you that your story, expertise, and ambition deserve to be shared with the world.

TFS: Liz, thank you for sharing such an honest and inspiring Founder story. Throughout this conversation, one message has remained remarkably consistent. Workplace equality cannot be achieved through legislation alone. Instead, it requires practical tools, courageous leadership, and organisations willing to create meaningful opportunities for women. Nuala represents a thoughtful response to one of the most important workplace challenges of our time.

Liz Hunter: Thank you so much. It has been a real pleasure to share the story behind Nuala. I genuinely believe we are entering a pivotal moment where technology, legislation, and human ambition can come together to create lasting change. That possibility inspires me every single day as we continue building the company.

TFS: We completely agree. On behalf of everyone at The Founder’s Story, thank you for joining us and sharing your entrepreneurial journey. We wish you and the entire Nuala team every success as you help organisations close the pay, career, and AI gaps while creating fairer workplaces for future generations.

Liz Hunter: Thank you. It has been an honour to be part of this conversation. I hope our Founder story encourages more women to believe in their ideas, embrace entrepreneurship, and become active participants in shaping the future of work. Positive change is possible, and together we can build workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.