Visa has announced the return of its She’s Next Grant Programme to Ireland for the fourth year. The programme will provide a €10,000 grant to four women entrepreneurs, with one overall winner receiving €50,000 to help their business thrive. All five winning applicants will also receive mentoring from Aimee Connolly, CEO and founder of Sculpted by Aimee, and MentorsWork, an initiative of Skillnet Ireland.
A study from Visa of more than 300 small business owners in Ireland found that access to mentorship is their top request, alongside access to funding and venture capital. The research highlighted the challenges faced and the disparity that still exists between female and male small business owners across the country. Men are twice as likely as women to have sourced and secured investment for their business (36% men vs 18% women).
42% of women pinpointed the struggle to balance family and caregiving responsibilities with business (vs 28% of men).
She’s Next initiative empowers women
55% of women business owners stated they feel nervous walking into a room of strangers, compared to 39% of men.
Mandy Lamb, Managing Director of Visa UK and Ireland, commented: “While progress has been made to narrow the gender gap in entrepreneurship, our commitment to addressing existing challenges remains resolute. That’s why we’re excited to bring She’s Next back to Ireland again, continuing our mission to empower women entrepreneurs on their business journeys.
Aimee Connolly added: “As a business owner, I empathise with the unique barriers and challenges identified by women entrepreneurs in the Visa study. Programmes like She’s Next are invaluable.
The mentoring, coaching and funding can really help women business owners to build confidence and knowledge, not just in their brand and business, but in themselves as leaders too. I welcome the opportunity to help with this initiative, championing women business owners in Ireland to learn, grow, and achieve their goals, whether that’s expanding into new markets, innovating products, or increasing their digital presence.”
Visa’s She’s Next Grant Programme is open to small businesses and organisations in the Republic of Ireland that are majority owned by women. With the closing date of October 30th looming, entries can be submitted on Visa’s website.
