Jennifer Neff, co-founder of the award-winning health tech company Elemental Software (now Access Elemental) and founder of Young Innovators, has been appointed as the new Entrepreneur in Residence at the AMP Growth Incubator in Derry.
A recognised leader in social prescribing and tech innovation, Jennifer brings a wealth of experience and vision to her new role, which is focused on nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs across the North West and beyond.
The TechUK President’s Society Award winner, Jennifer, co-founded Elemental Software with Leeann Monk-Ozgul to revolutionise health and social care delivery, creating a social movement around halting avoidable health inequalities via digital social prescribing. Their social prescribing technology company was established and scaled in Derry, and deployed across the NHS, employing 45 people. Elemental Software became Access Elemental when the company was bought by the UK’s largest UK based technology company, The Access Group, to enhance its integrated care tech portfolio in 2021.
During this time, Jennifer also founded Young Innovators, an initiative which has seen over 600 young people across Ireland and the Middle East getting first hand experience in turning ideas into purpose driven solutions, with over 100 young people being supported to bring their social impact ideas to life.
Jennifer is currently inspiring, mentoring and coordinating support and guidance from a team of successful business leaders for over 50 emerging business leaders at The AMP through The FEED Programme for under represented entrepreneurs, The Royal Academy of Engineering Regional Talent Engine and Founder Labs, for NI’s high growth innovation driven enterprises (IDES).
The AMP Growth Incubator, located in Derry, is the North West’s first privately funded incubator, a space designed, funded, and built by local entrepreneurs. Every nut, bolt, and piece of furniture has been sourced locally, making the AMP a uniquely community-driven environment. Every detail of the building has been carefully curated to help startups and high-growth SMEs flourish and has been entirely privately funded. As an AMP Member, entrepreneurs gain access to like-minded peers, onsite and virtual mentoring, seed and growth funding, and additional exclusive benefits designed to drive success.
Ryan Williams, The AMP’s Founder and Lead Angel Investor with AMP Ventures, welcomed Jennifer to the role: "I am delighted Jennifer has agreed to become our Entrepreneur in Residence. Jennifer and I have worked together for almost two decades and as one of the early investors and supporters at Elemental Software, I had the privilege of watching her build and grow one of the UK's most exciting and groundbreaking digital health and wellness businesses. Jennifer is an exemplary example for all Founders across the North, but particularly in Derry, and I am certain she will bring forward more trailblazers, innovators and challengers in her journey as our Entrepreneur in Residence."
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For Jennifer, the role offers a unique opportunity to give back to the entrepreneurial ecosystem she has helped shape: “I have been supporting emerging entrepreneurs for the past two decades and now have the dedicated space and time as The AMP’s Entrepreneur in Residence to focus on supporting a new wave of founders on their journeys to build and expand successful businesses” Jennifer said. “Derry, and the wider North West, is a place that is very close to my heart. It’s experiencing a surge in startup and scale-up businesses, and I am in my element sharing the learning from my own experience with others and helping their businesses thrive.”
Jennifer’s appointment underscores Derry’s rising profile as a hub for tech, creative industries, and innovation. Her presence promises to inject fresh energy and perspective into the incubator, catalysing growth and driving the next wave of entrepreneurial success stories from Northern Ireland.
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