ACORNS programme has helped participants to grow revenue by €10m

/ 8th September 2025 /

Some 550 female entrepreneurs have increased their collective revenue by almost €10m since they entered the ACORNS business development programme.

Now commencing its 11th cycle, ACORNS is a free initiative for early-stage female entrepreneurs based in rural Ireland funded through the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine's (DAFM) Rural Innovation and Development Fund.

Researchers at DCU Business School have now found that over the past decade, the revenues of ACORNS participants increased by an average of 51% during their participation in the six-month programme.

Combined end-of-cycle revenues for 550 ACORNS participants amounted to €29m, representing a total increase of €9.8m across all ten cycles of the programme.

Report authors Professor Colm O’Gorman, Professor Theo Lynn and Maggie O’Gorman found that aggregate pre-cycle employment rose from 822 to 1,023 staff post-cycle, an increase of 201.

They reported that 29% of participants had exporting experience following the conclusion of their participation in ACORNS.

Of the 550 total past participants, some 330 entrepreneurs have continued as members of the ACORNS Community.

Paula Fitzsimons, director of ACORNS, said: “The research from DCU Business School highlights the positive impact that the ACORNS programme has had for past participants in terms of revenue, employment, and growth into the new markets.

"That ACORNS has helped female entrepreneurs from rural Ireland increase their collective revenue by €9.75m since our pilot programme in 2014 is testament to the quality of the programme, its participants and its Lead Entrepreneurs.

"We hope to continue the trends in revenue and employment with ACORNS 11 and look forward to receiving applications from the next group of early-stage female entrepreneurs.”

Professor O’Gorman, co-author of the DCU study, said: “While female entrepreneurs in rural areas face challenges in starting and growing new businesses, the women that have completed ACORNS report that participation has had a transformative impact for them and for their businesses.

"They speak of a sense of solidarity that develops through the roundtable interactions, through sharing business challenges, successes and setbacks, and through participation with the broader ACORNS community.”

Applications for cycle 11 of ACORNS is now open to female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland who have generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2022. There are up to 50 places available.

Those wishing to apply must first register their interest via the ACORNS website. They will then be sent an application by email. The deadline for applications is midnight, September 22.

ACORNS 11 will run from October to April and will include six monthly round table sessions, a briefing by various development agencies and an end-of-cycle celebration.

There will be no charge for those selected to participate in ACORNS 11, thanks to the continuing support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the voluntary contribution of time by the Lead Entrepreneurs.

A survey of participants from the last cycle, ACORNS 10, found that all 52 participants who completed the cycle felt closer to achieving their business ambitions following the programme and would recommend ACORNS to others.

Some 90% said their participation brought about practical change within their business.

Four businesses started to trade for the first time during the ACORNS 10 cycle. The combined annual turnover of the ACORNS 10 participants grew by 54%, increasing from €2.8m to €4.3m.

ACORNS 10 participants employed a total of 104 staff at the end of the cycle, an increase of 15. There were eighteen participants with export experience at the end of the cycle.

This year’s voluntary lead entrepreneurs are Alison Ritchie, Polar Ice; Caroline Reidy, The HR Suite; Eimer Hannon, Hannon Travel; Geraldine Jones, Skin Formulas; Karen Kerrigan, Kerrigan Mushrooms; Mary B Walsh, Ire Wel Pallets; and Triona MacGiolla Rí, Aró Digital Strategies.

Experienced businesswomen Clare Duignan and Geraldine Kelly, who are on the Going for Growth advisory panel, will facilitate ACORNS Plus round tables for previous participants.