Research tells us that almost one in five women in Ireland aspire to start their own business. The Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs initiative is focused on encouraging women to develop business ideas that are scalable, innovative and focused on export markets.
A series of Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs events will take place in the first half of 2024 to introduce women with entrepreneurial ambitions to the idea of starting their own business. The events are part of an initiative called Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs which is now in its second year and is supported by Enterprise Ireland and KPMG.
The programme is designed to appeal to women from a range of backgrounds who are seeking a change of direction, including female professionals and women in senior corporate positions, or those with doctoral and postdoctoral qualifications.
Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs is the brainchild of Paula Fitzsimons and the team behind the Going for Growth, Starting Strong, ACORNS and Back for Business development initiatives.
Pictured above, (L to R) - Leonora O’Brien, Founder and formerly of Pharmapod, Sinead Lonergan, Women in Business Manager, Enterprise Ireland, Olivia Lynch, Partner at KPMG and Louella Morton, co-founder of TestReach.
Event series
The 2024 Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs programme launched at KPMG Dublin offices on Wednesday, January 24th. Several events were held in Galway, Dundalk, and Dublin. The final Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs event in the second series was held at the Irish Management Institute (IMI) on the IMI Campus in Sandyford, Dublin, on June 21st.
Panel of Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs
Key to the initiative is the panel of 11 Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs, a group of successful businesswomen whose achievements mirror the entrepreneurial ambition the programme is seeking to inspire.
Panel members have all volunteered their time to the initiative and have been selected on the basis of their professional experience, their backgrounds in corporate life and academia, and their experience building innovative companies across a range of sectors.
Panel members include: Áine Kerr, co-founder of Kinzen; Áine Denn, co-founder of Altify; Andrea Doolan, co-founder and CEO of Atlantia Clinical Trials; Dr Anne Cusack, co-founder of Critical Healthcare; Dr Barbara Anne Murphy, Head of Equine Science at UCD and Chief Science Officer at Equilume; Dr Emmeline Hill, Professor School of Agriculture and Food Science at UCD and founder of Equinome; Fidelma McGuirk, Founder and CEO of Payslip; Jennifer Corley, founder of EquiTrace; Leonora O’Brien, founder of Pharmapod; Louella Morton, co-founder of TestReach; and Dr Vanessa Creaven, co-founder of Spotlight Oral Care.
At KPMG, we believe in fostering innovation and empowering high-achieving women to explore entrepreneurial possibilities.
Three steps to develop a business
Inspiring
Ambitious women interested in hearing directly from those who have successfully taken the step into entrepreneurship are invited to join one of a series of events hosted by partner organisations around the country, so they can judge for themselves if they are interested in starting their own business. Those interested in beginning their own entrepreneurial journey will be offered the opportunity for further support.
Fostering Entrepreneurial Capacity and Peer Networks
Those who can demonstrate that they have an innovative business idea with global ambition will be invited to apply to participate in a series of facilitated round tables and a series of workshops facilitated by Enterprise Ireland, KPMG, and other experts. There will also be an opportunity to develop peer support networks.
Continuing Support
Those who complete the programme will be offered membership of the Going for Growth Community for a year, where they will continue to be supported on their early-stage entrepreneurial journey.
Ireland’s economic success will be driven by harnessing a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem which utilises the skills, ambition and talent of a diverse population.
The objective of this compelling and inspiring initiative is to increase the number of female-led innovative businesses of scale, focused on export markets.
Get in touch
For further information about the Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs programme, log onto www.inspiringwomenentrepreneurs.com.