Supporting early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland

ACORNS

The ACORNS programme has been designed to support early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland and runs over six months part-time. Based on a belief that entrepreneurs learn best from each other, the ACORNS initiative is centred around interactive round table sessions that are facilitated by female entrepreneurs, known as ‘Lead Entrepreneurs’, who have started and successfully grown businesses in rural Ireland.

Who is it for?

To qualify for consideration, the entrepreneur (i) must have recently set up a new business which she owns or part owns, and which has generated sales no earlier than end June 2023 or (ii) must be at an advanced stage of planning a new venture and have a clear idea of what she wants to achieve.
She must also be living in a rural area.
These are all areas of the country outside the administrative city boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

What do you get?

Two round table sessions with their ACORNS Lead Entrepreneur,
An opportunity to attend topic based workshops relevant to their development,
Further networking opportunities,
Development of individual participant profiles,
Tracking of progress against agreed goals and milestones.

What can it be used for?

At the end of the cycle, 47 of the businesses were trading including nine that had started to generate sales for the first time during the cycle.
Among those trading, there was a reported 21% increase in turnover over the six month
8 participants were already exporting before the start of the cycle, 3 more have since started to export.
17 participants expect to be exporting by the end of 2017.

How it works

The next cycle of ACORNS will run from October 2026 to April 2027. If you are interested in participating in the programme, please register your interest below and you will be sent an application form as soon as they become available (summer 2026). https://acorns.ie/contact/

Get your personalised consultation

Need advice? Speak with one of our expert Hub advisors to learn more about this support and discover how it could benefit your business.

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