Visa has announced the grant winners of its second She’s Next programme that aims to boost and empower female entrepreneurship.
Five women business owners will receive 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.
The quintet were selected from 350 applications.
“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 & Ireland.
“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.”
In Association with
The five winners are:
General Small Business: Jane Conlon, Sodalicious, Limerick
A soda bread bakery and café located in Limerick city, Sodalicious has reinvented soda bread with a formula based on a traditional recipe but with a modern twist. With all breads baked freshly each morning in-house, they are then filled with a selection of mostly Irish products including farmhouse cheese, Gubbeen deli meats, Macroom mozzarella and locally produced tomatoes. All breads are yeast and sugar-free. Sodalicious also recently began providing fresh lunches to the local Educate Together school in a bid to improve the eating habits of students.
Micro business: Siobhan McKenna, Moss and Cable, Donegal
Moss and Cable is an Irish knitwear studio that aims to reinvigorate the declining knitwear and tweed heritage from Co. Donegal, while also creating a more sustainable alternative to fast fashion brands. Owner Siobhan McKenna wants to see Donegal as a global signifier of quality and craftsmanship for knitwear, much like cashmere is to Scotland or leather is to Italy.
Early-stage business: Fiona Fahy, Feed Me Mother, Waterford
As a breastfeeding mother, Fiona Fahy saw a gap in the market for a fashionable and sustainable online breastfeeding clothing brand.
Sustainability: Ellen Ryall, ReFunk Upcycling, Dublin
ReFunk is a furniture upcycling platform that supports the circular economy and local creatives by connecting freelance upcyclers with sustainably-minded consumers. The ReFunk platform helps consumers to extend the lifespan of their furniture by connecting them with upcyclers who can transform their furniture and give it a new lease of life. On the ReFunk platform, buyers can create a listing for the furniture piece that they want to get upcycled, then ReFunk’s upcyclers bid for the job.
Innovation: Maria Hall, DataHub, Hub Planning, Sligo
Imagine a web-based platform that keeps data live and allows organisations to answer research questions as and when they arise, allowing quick evidence-based decisions. Imagine only having to go to one source to find all the answers. No more expensive consultants or running the numbers yourself. This is where Data Hub comes in.
Photo: The ReFunk Upcycling team (l-r) Ellen Ryall, Meredith Davis, Anna Sheehan and Ellie Walters
