(From left) Leonora O'Brien, Pharmapod; Mary Kelly, Feepay; Minister Richard Bruton, TD; and Julie Sinnamon, Enterprise Ireland executive director of global business development. Photo by Conor McCabe Photography
Ireland’s Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, TD, yesterday launched the Competitive Start Fund for Female Entrepreneurs to boost start-ups led by women.
The €500,000 fund comes as part of a drive by Enterprise Ireland to encourage female entrepreneurs to set up innovative, export-oriented businesses.
Earlier this year, Enterprise Ireland launched the Competitive Feasibility Fund for Female Entrepreneurs from which 20 female-led businesses have received funding to investigate their viability in global markets. This latest stimulus for female entrepreneurs is aimed at high-potential female-led start-ups in manufacturing and internationally traded services, including apps, food, games, internet services, cloud computing, enterprise software, life sciences, consumer products, medical devices and e-health.
The announcement was made during the Dublin Web Summit in the RDS. The two-day technology conference made a point of focusing on women in tech as part of its ‘Change the Ratio’ campaign.
Applications for the Competitive Start Fund for Female Entrepreneurs are open from 22 October until 3 December.
