Enterprise Ireland opens up €250K fund to female tech entrepreneurs

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Irish Government wants to support growth of cloud, enterprise software and internet-focused start-ups.

Enterprise Ireland is offering female entrepreneurs with tech-focused start-ups the opportunity to apply for a share of 250,000 to fund the future growth of their businesses.

The initiative is aimed at boosting the number of female-led start-ups that operate in industries with high export potential in Ireland.

This will help women get involved in starting businesses, getting into exports, and creating jobs

It is being overseen by Enterprise Ireland, a Government organisation that provides support for Irish businesses to help them achieve growth and sales overseas.

In particular, Enterprise Ireland said it would welcome applications from businesses operating in the online, gaming, apps, cloud, enterprise software, life sciences, medical devices and e-health sectors.

The scheme follows on from the launch of two further funding rounds, aimed at rewarding female entrepreneurs, which attracted more than 200 applications and saw 30 businesses receive investment to support their growth ambitions.

Richard Burton, the Irish State Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, said supporting start-ups is a key part of the Government's plans to boost jobs and growth in Ireland.

"As part of the Government's Action Plan for Jobs in 2012, Enterprise Ireland launched a new women-in-business drive to support female entrepreneurs, including several competitive funding programmes which attracted a very high level of applicants with ambitious and innovative projects," said Burton.

"Today's announcement...will build on this momentum ensuring that women get involved in starting businesses, getting into exports, and creating jobs."

Julie Sinnamon, executive director for Global Business Development of Enterprise Ireland, added: "We see this new fund as a strategic investment in female-led start-ups. It will support them to expand their business horizons and set up innovative international companies that can win business abroad and create jobs at home."

Interested parties have until Tuesday 10 September to submit their funding applications.

Caroline Donnelly
Caroline Donnelly is the news and analysis editor of IT Pro and its sister site Cloud Pro, and covers general news, as well as the storage, security, public sector, cloud and Microsoft beats. Caroline has been a member of the IT Pro/Cloud Pro team since March 2012, and has previously worked as a reporter at several B2B publications, including UK channel magazine CRN, and as features writer for local weekly newspaper, The Slough and Windsor Observer. She studied Medical Biochemistry at the University of Leicester and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism at PMA Training in 2006.