Amber Akhtar

Smart data extraction to unlock business intelligence

Amber Akhtar is the co-founder of TextMine, a venture-backed tech startup revolutionising how businesses extract and use data from critical documents. The first in her family to pursue higher education, Amber’s journey was marked by significant challenges. Through perseverance, she qualified as a solicitor, building resilience that would later fuel her transition from law to tech entrepreneurship when she joined TextMine in 2020.

Organisations struggle when critical business information is trapped in unstructured documents, especially across multiple languages. TextMine’s patented technology combines large language models and machine learning to unlock this data, helping clients find accurate answers up to 100 times faster while saving 40 hours monthly per employee. Their expansion into Mandarin processing marks a significant step in helping global companies access their full data potential.

“My mission is to create technology that solves real-world problems while fostering inclusivity and opportunity for those often overlooked,” says Amber. “I believe innovation should not only drive efficiency but also empower people to thrive.”

Her achievements include securing venture backing and signing enterprise clients. “It’s a great honour and privilege to be a winner of the Women in Innovation Award,” says Amber. “This is an exciting time as we are onboarding global companies and receiving this grant signifies the need for TextMine.”

“The biggest barrier I have overcome was navigating multiple setbacks while trying to build my career,” Amber reflects. “While studying for my law conversion course, I had to work full-time to support myself, which was a real struggle. Instead of letting this defeat me, I chose to remain resilient and open to new possibilities.”

Her advice to aspiring women innovators? “Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo and trust your unique perspective. Often, the best innovations come from questioning what’s already been done and envisioning something better.”

For more information on Women in Innovation

Find out more about the Women in Innovation Award and other support available across the Innovate UK ecosystem on the Women in Innovation programme page.