Visa announces winners of €10,000 grants in Ireland’s second She’s Next Programme
Visa has announced the winners of its second She’s Next Grant Programme in Ireland, created to boost and empower women entrepreneurship.
Five women business owners from across Ireland received a grant of €10,000 and one-year business coaching through IFundWomen, a funding platform for women entrepreneurs, to support, grow and expand their businesses.
Entries were up by more than 60% this year, with over 350 applications received following the campaign’s successful debut in 2021, which was launched as an extension of Visa’s global She’s Next Grant programme. This year saw Visa double the funding as the company continues its mission to address the unique set of challenges faced by women entrepreneurs.
“The quality of entries received this year has been truly incredible and it is encouraging to see so many extremely talented female business owners in Ireland,” said Mandy Lamb, managing director, UK and Ireland.
“We know that many women businesses still need support, which is why we’re delighted to be able to offer five worthy winners an even bigger grant this year, on top of the coaching offered by IFundWomen. We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the winners – it’s fantastic to be able to make a difference to their businesses and we look forward to seeing them go from strength to strength.”
With representation from multiple sectors including technology, retail and recycling, the five winners span all four provinces, demonstrating the widespread reach of the programme. The judges were once again impressed by the calibre of entries, describing winning recipients as driven, passionate and inspiring.
The winners of each category are:
- General small business: Jane Conlon, Sodalicious, Limerick
- Micro business: Siobhan McKenna, Moss and Cable, Donegal
- Early-stage business: Fiona Fahy, Feed Me Mother, Waterford
- Sustainability: Ellen Ryall, ReFunk Upcycling, Dublin
- Innovation: Maria Hall, Hub Planning Ltd, Sligo
HONOUR
Karen Cahn, founder and CEO at IfundWomen, said: “It’s an honour to partner with Visa on the second She’s Next Grant Programme in Ireland and we’re extremely proud of our ongoing collaboration with Visa globally.
“Visa is consistently offering funding and business resources to women-owned businesses around the world. It’s really encouraging to see the increase in applications this year for the second She’s Next programme in Ireland.”
Globally, female entrepreneurship is growing, with 153 million women operating established businesses. Since March 2020, She’s Next empowered by Visa has awarded more than 1.6 million euro in grants and coaching scholarships to women entrepreneurs across the globe. Learn more at Visa.ie.