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The Fuelling Ambition Roadshow aims to encourage the ambition of women entrepreneurs at a national level.
Enterprise Ireland and women’s business organisation Network Ireland, in partnership with Entrepreneurs Academy, today (12 March) announced details of the annual nationwide Fuelling Ambition Roadshow.
The aim of the roadshow is to drive the ambition of women in business across the country, and the theme this year is ‘Lead and Succeed’.
Beginning in Waterford on 26 March, events will follow in Dublin (9 April), Cork (11 April), Limerick (19 April), Killarney (26 April) and Roscommon (1 May).
The roadshow will included a leadership masterclass and an elevator-pitch competition with a cash prize of €2,000 sponsored by Facebook at each location. Additional prizes include 10 sessions with Enterprise Ireland mentors, annual membership of Network Ireland and attendance at Enterprise Ireland’s Excel at Export Selling training programme.
An upward trend
Launching the roadshow, Sarita Johnston, female entrepreneurship manager at Enterprise Ireland, said: “Supporting female entrepreneurs in achieving their global ambition is a key objective for Enterprise Ireland, and the Fuelling Ambition Roadshow is an important initiative in reaching out to women regionally to tell them about the supports available and to encourage them to ‘lead and succeed’ in business.
“More than one in three start-ups supported by Enterprise Ireland last year through our Competitive Start Fund and High-Potential Start-Up programmes were female-led – this compares to one in 10 start-ups in 2012.”
Johnston said that this upward trend is encouraging, but she wants to see more women creating their own business as well as scaling those that already exist.
Driving support for women in business
President of Network Ireland, Roseann Heavey, said: “We are delighted to join forces with Enterprise Ireland for the annual roadshow. Our mission continues to be to drive, support and encourage our members to push themselves outside of their comfort zones constantly.”
She noted the wide array of events on offer around the country, including a masterclass from experienced women entrepreneurs.
Participants at the roadshow will hear from experts and successful female entrepreneurs, who will share their experiences and insights on the road to business success. Representatives from Enterprise Ireland, the Local Enterprise Offices and Network Ireland will be on hand to discuss the wide range of supports available to female entrepreneurs and those thinking of starting their own businesses.
More information on the events, which are all free of charge, can be found here.
