Visa announces winners of Ireland’s inaugural She’s Next Grant Programme

• Five women entrepreneurs across Ireland awarded grants and coaching to help fund, run and grow their business
• Hundreds of entries received as Ireland first country in Europe to launch Visa programme
• Winners hail from Sligo, Dublin, Mayo, Waterford and Galway

Dublin December 14, 2021 – Visa today announced the winners of its inaugural She's Next Grant Programme in Ireland. As an extension of Visa's global She's Next Grant Programme, created to boost and empower women entrepreneurship, five women business-owners from across Ireland received a grant of €5,000 and one-year business coaching through IFundWomen to support, grow and expand their businesses.

The pandemic continues to impact small businesses, and women business-owners have been disproportionately affected. Visa’s mission is to provide support to women-owned businesses in Ireland through their Visa She’s Next programme. The grants and coaching can make all the difference to a business in its early stages or one in need of a boost.

The programme received over 200 entries from Ireland’s women entrepreneurs with representation from multiple sectors including technology, education, retail and culture. The judges were particularly impressed by the ingenuity, the passion for their business and entrepreneurial spirit of the five winning recipients.

“We were blown away by the response to Ireland’s inaugural programme and it’s clear from the calibre of entries that entrepreneurship among women in Ireland is flourishing” said Dominic White, Country Manager, Visa Ireland. “But the feedback we have received from entrants is that women need more support and can benefit hugely from coaching and the opportunity to network with like-minded entrepreneurs. We warmly congratulate the five fantastic winners and look forward to seeing them take the next step in growing their businesses."

In Ireland, there are nearly double the number of men for every woman who is an early-stage entrepreneur, which is well above the average across the OECD[i]. More than half (58%)[ii]of men in Ireland perceive that they have the necessary skills to start a business, compared to just 38% of women.

The winners of each category are:

• General Small Business: Carolanne Rushe, Sweet Beat, Sligo
• Micro business: Áine McGurk, Dainty Bear, Dublin
• Early-stage business: Rosie Joyce, The Habit Store, Mayo
• Social Impact: Tammy Darcy, The Shona Project, Waterford
• Innovation: Suzanne Moloney, HidraMed Solutions, Galway

– ABOUT THE WINNERS –

Carolanne Rushe, Sweet Beat, Sligo

A family-run planet-first café featuring creative plant-based dishes to eat in, take away or Click and Collect. Sweet Beat also houses an eco-retail home and lifestyle collection available to purchase online or in-store. Carolanne has created a range of Sweet Beat’s plant-based dips, and she supports other local producers by selling their produce in-store.

Áine McGurk, Dainty Bear, Dublin

Dainty Bearis an Irish-owned online luxury baby and childrenswear store specialising in timeless quality clothing, shoes and accessories for babies and children under 5. Founded by Áine McGurk in 2018, Dainty Bear is known for its unique range of traditional occasion-worthy collections and bespoke baby gift boxes. Inspired by her two daughters, Áine’s designs are created to be cherished and passed on for years to come.

Rosie Joyce, The Habit Store, Mayo

With the goal of reducing single-use plastics, The Habit Storeis a sustainable refill shop where customers can buy and refill food, household products and toiletries by weight. All products in the store are dispensed into containers that customers bring from home. The store was opened in September 2021 by business duo Rosie Joyce and Alex MacNaughton, who started with a refill stall at the local market in Castlebar each weekend before moving into a permanent store in the town.

Tammy Darcy, The Shona Project, Waterford

A multi-award-winning social enterprise, The Shona Projectaims to educate, empower and inspire the girls of today to become tomorrow’s strong confident and curious young women. Founded in 2016 by Tammy Darcy, The Shona Project provides Ireland's teen girls with information, advice and a safe place to share their stories, through school workshops, events, and a thriving online community. During the past 20 months of the pandemic, The Shona Project reached over 40,000 girls across Ireland. The organisation is a tribute to Tammy’s sister Shona, who was diagnosed with a brain injury at 15.

Suzanne Moloney, HidraMed Solutions, Galway

HidraWearhas revolutionised wound care for those suffering from the incurable and debilitating skin disease, Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS). As someone diagnosed with HS, Suzanne Moloney, Founder and CEO of HidraMed Solutions, wanted to find a better way to manage her medical condition and care for her wounds daily. As a result, Suzanne created HidraWear - a patented range of adhesive-free dressings that fit into specially created underwear to help to alleviate the burden of Hidradenitis Suppurativa. HidraWear are listed on the national health reimbursement schemes in four markets, including Ireland, with a view to expanding into the US in 2022.

Since March 2020, through its global She's Next Grant Programme, Visa has awarded more than 1.25 million Euros in grants and coaching scholarships to women entrepreneurs across the globe.

"We are extremely proud of our ongoing collaboration with Visa globally, and all that we have been able to accomplish so far through the She's Next Grant Programme," said Karen Cahn, Founder and CEO, IFundWomen. "Visa walks the walk and is consistently offering funding and business resources to women-owned businesses around the globe, so partnering with them to launch the inaugural She's Next Grant Programme in Ireland made perfect sense for us."

###