Ireland has a strong array of supports for women embarking on the entrepreneurship journey.
From funding supports from State bodies and angel investment groups to community networks and growth and training programmes, the reality is the start-up journey doesn’t have to be a solo trip.
Longstanding programmes like ACORNS and Going for Growth as well as community networks like FIERCE and TechFoundHer, have done much to garner a sense of community and fellowship to help founders spur each other on.
We delve into the various supports that are invaluable if you’re a woman entrepreneur starting a business, either for the first time or starting again.
Funding Supports
Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers is a nationwide programme for ambitious start-up founders with an innovative business idea that has the potential to scale and create employment.
Unlike many accelerator programmes, it does not take equity in your business. It develops your founder toolkit, covering customer research, marketing, and financial planning.
Delivered across 18 locations around Ireland, the three-phase programme culminates in readiness for pre-seed fundraising. Participants in all three phases receive a support package valued at over €40,000, a €15,000 tax-free allowance (Phase 2), one-to-one mentoring, and access to the startup ecosystem.
Enterprise Ireland’s Pre-Seed Start Fund provides up to €100,000 pre-seed funding through a convertible loan note.
This early-stage funding covers core operational costs, including building out a team and initial product-market testing. It also provides access to a Development Advisor and supports such as 10 mentoring sessions from the Enterprise Ireland mentor panel.
It targets companies on the cusp of becoming High Potential Start-Ups, and the funding is designed to get startups to a point – ideally within 12 to 18 months – where they can attract further seed investment.
HPSU (High Potential Start-Up)
An HPSU is a fast-growing, export-led company with the potential to deliver at least 10 jobs and €1 million in sales within three years of investment.
It is the most valuable funding designation Enterprise Ireland offers for early-stage companies, providing equity investment, a development advisor, and international market access.
In 2024, Enterprise Ireland supported 90 High Potential Start-Ups with high growth potential. HPSU status signals to private investors that a company has received a state-backed endorsement, helping to attract follow-on funding from VCs and angel networks.
Since its launch in Ireland, the annual She’s Next grant programme for Irish women entrepreneurs has provided €215,000 in funding and coaching to 20 women entrepreneurs.
The call for the latest cohort for 2026 has just recently concluded but its power as a springboard for Irish women entrepreneurs is impressive. The announcement of the 2026 winners is imminent.
This year there are five business grants and access to top class mentorship from prominent industry leaders including Aimee Connolly from Sculpted by Aimee; Gráinne Mullins of Grá Chocolates; and Breege O’Donoghue, former board member and senior leader at Primark.
Four winners will receive €10,000 each and one overall winner will secure €50,000. All participants will also gain access to coaching, pitch-preparation sessions and Visa’s growing She’s Next alumni network.
The annual programme is open to women-owned small businesses and organisations operating in the Republic of Ireland and spans three categories: general small business, early stage businesses under three years old, and social enterprises.
All-Island Programmes
WeBuild is a tech programme designed to empower women entrepreneurs to accelerate their tech-driven business ideas and develop tech-enabled ventures, with a focus on innovation, AI learning, and building strong, future-ready businesses.
Delivered by TechFoundHer and led by InterTradeIreland in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, it is part of the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme.
The programme includes a 12-week sprint, in-person labs in Dublin and Belfast, and an intensive two-day Build Lab where founders use GenAI and no-code tools to rapidly test and strengthen their products.
WeGrow is a growth programme for established women-led SMEs who are aiming for growth and expansion across the island and seeking to reflect on their business potential.
It is delivered by Women in Business NI and Network Ireland. Part of the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme funded by the Government of Ireland, it is designed for businesses already trading and ready to scale further. Participants benefit from specialist training, peer circles, and mentoring.
As WeGrow’s programme manager put it, the programme takes founders on a journey, challenging and supporting them to work out their best plan for growth.
WeScale is a scaling programme dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs to scale strategically and sustainably, blending world-class learning, bespoke mentoring, and investor access.
Delivered by AwakenHub as part of the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme, it targets women founders who are ready to enter new international markets.
The programme provides women founders with the tools, mentorship, know-how, and networks they need to expand their businesses internationally, supported by a vibrant peer community sharing similar journeys. It is aimed at those with export ambitions and the drive to compete on a global stage.
Community Networks
AwakenHub’s mission is to level up opportunity, access, and connectivity for women founders throughout the island of Ireland by removing barriers to investment, scale, and success. Founded during the pandemic in 2020, it has grown into a thriving community of over 3,000 subscribers.
AwakenClub, its private membership community, offers support, shared intelligence, peer connectivity, exclusive events and content, and access to experienced “Big Sisters.”
AwakenHub also delivers programmes including the SheGenerate accelerator and manages the AwakenAngels investment syndicate, making it a comprehensive one-stop ecosystem for women founders.
Back for Business is a programme backed by the Irish Government aimed at supporting returned or soon to be returning Irish emigrants in staring and developing a business in Ireland.
The free programme, which is funded by the Irish Abroad Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs, was created to foster and support entrepreneurial activity among emigrants recently returned to Ireland.
Not strictly confined to women entrepreneurs, it has just recruited its ninth cohort and recruits a new cohort every January.
FIERCE is a curated, power-packed gathering of trailblazing women founders in the tech industry, offering interactive workshops and meaningful discussions on everything from fundraising and scaling into global markets, to hiring the right talent, angel investing, startup legals and tax, and pathways to acquisition.
Every workshop leader is a successful founder and/or investor, facilitating conversations and providing a platform for advice. Associated with NDRC at Dogpatch Labs, Fierce is recognised as a key early-stage accelerator programme that plays a critical role in building a strong platform for women founders.
The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Women in Business network is a national initiative providing dedicated support for women entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey. LEOs across Ireland offer training, mentoring, networking events, and grant support tailored to women-led businesses, often in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland programmes.
National Women’s Enterprise Day, coordinated through the LEO network, is an annual free event that aims to inspire more women entrepreneurs, covering topics to help them at various stages of their business journey. The LEO network is a critical grassroots layer of Ireland’s female entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Network Ireland is a national membership organisation supporting women in business and the professions across Ireland. With branches in every county, it provides women entrepreneurs with access to peer networks, professional development events, and mentoring connections.
It plays a key role as a delivery partner for several national programmes — notably co-delivering WeGrow alongside Women in Business NI – bringing its deep regional reach and established membership to help women-led SMEs grow and connect across the island.
Its focus on peer support, collaboration, and leadership development makes it a vital community network for business women at all levels.
Founded in Dublin in 2024 and launched in Belfast the same year, TechFoundHer is a women-led, purpose-driven organisation supporting women founders through events, training, and access to networks.
Its mission is to reimagine innovation acceleration and empower women to build and lead in tech. It serves as the delivery partner for the WeBuild programme under the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme and has rapidly become a key player in Ireland’s female tech ecosystem.
It delivers innovation labs and no-code/GenAI workshops designed to make technology accessible and actionable for women entrepreneurs at all stages.
Growth & Training Programmes
ACORNS (Accelerating the Creation Of Rural Nascent Start-ups) is a pioneering initiative designed to empower early-stage female entrepreneurs in rural Ireland. Now celebrating its 10th year, the programme has supported over 500 women in starting and developing sustainable businesses.
ACORNS operates on the principle that entrepreneurs learn best from each other, facilitating interactive roundtable sessions led by successful female business owners from rural areas.
Funded under the Rural Innovation and Development Fund through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the six-month part-time programme is completely free to participants.
EMPOWER supports women in business and advances female entrepreneurship across Ireland’s Gaeltacht communities and the West and North-West, providing ambitious female founders with the confidence, tools, and network to start, grow, and elevate their businesses.
It offers EMPOWER START for those with an idea seeking to validate their business concept, and EMPOWER GROWTH for established entrepreneurs wishing to scale.
EMPOWER Cumasú is a free programme for female entrepreneurs in Gaeltacht areas of Mayo, Galway, Donegal, Kerry, Cork, Meath, and Waterford, funded by Údarás na Gaeltachta and delivered by ATU and MTU.
Going for Growth is an initiative to support ambitious female entrepreneurs across all sectors who have been trading for at least two years and are strongly focused on growth.
It is focused on peer support as a means of nurturing ambition among established women entrepreneurs and providing support to achieve growth aspirations.
The initiative is funded by Enterprise Ireland and KPMG. Having completed 17 cycles, Going for Growth has supported over 1,000 women entrepreneurs and measures its success in terms of participants’ increased turnover, additional employment created, and the number of new exporters.
NextWave is a national women founders accelerator programme offering tailored support for female entrepreneurs who have founded high-potential start-ups.
The ten-week programme is focused on supporting participants to build momentum towards investor-readiness and accelerate their path to growth.
Delivered in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland and the Irish BICs — AxisBIC, Furthr, Propelor, and WestBIC — NextWave offers bespoke mentorships, structured learning, and peer connection, with a focus on securing pre-seed or seed investment including Enterprise Ireland’s PSSF and HPSU funding.
Angel Networks
AwakenAngels is the sister entity of AwakenHub and the first angel investor syndicate built with women in mind on the island of Ireland. Established in 2023, its mission is to provide women entrepreneurs with access to capital, mentorship, and a supportive investor community.
It runs Angel Investor Masterclasses and Deal Leader Training to bring more women into the world of angel investing, while also connecting women-led startups to investment. AwakenHub and AwakenAngels now run an annual trade mission to the US, showcasing women-founded Irish startups to potential investors in Boston and New York.
HBAN (Halo Business Angel Network)
HBAN is the All-Island Angel Investment Network funded by Enterprise Ireland and InterTradeIreland, run by Dogpatch Labs and Ormeau Baths, in partnership with a regional network of hubs.
HBAN 2.0’s primary role is to unlock angel investing as a source of funding for new and developing businesses by matching investors with high-quality investment opportunities.
To date, member angels have invested €177 million in more than 700 start-ups on the island of Ireland. Sectors of interest include software, medtech, life sciences, digital health, agritech, cleantech, fintech, and sustainability.
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