AwakenHub, the only all-island community dedicated to supporting women founders, has celebrated the first-ever graduation of its pioneering SheScales programme. The programme was created for women-led businesses ready to scale globally and interested in expanding into new markets.
The graduation event, hosted at Ulster Bank’s Belfast headquarters, honoured 16 women founders from across the island of Ireland who completed the intensive programme, delivered in partnership with Cranfield School of Management.
Supported by InterTradeIreland through the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme, in collaboration with Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, SheScales was developed by AwakenHub after seeing the need for a specific programme for women founders seeking to scale their businesses internationally.
The SheScales programme builds on the success of AwakenHub’s SheGenerate initiative, Ireland’s first all-island accelerator-lite programme for early-stage female founders. During the graduation event, 23 participants from the fourth SheGenerate cohort also marked their successful completion of the programme. SheGenerate is supported by AIB and the British Business Bank.
Speaking at the event, Clare McGee, Cofounder and CEO of AwakenHub and AwakenAngels, said: “Our first SheScales graduation builds upon the success of our SheGenerate initiative in providing a crucial next-stage pathway for women founders across this island with global ambition.
“This inaugural cohort has shown the incredible impact that targeted support, mentorship and peer-to-peer learning can have. Through our collaboration with Cranfield School of Management, participants gained the essential tools, knowledge and networks to take their businesses to the next level, including being part of our recent St Brigid’s Day US Trade Mission. They also get to be part of the unique ethos and supportive community that comes with being part of AwakenHub and AwakenAngels, something they have already acknowledged as an incredible help on their founder journeys.
“Likewise, I would like to congratulate all our SheGenerate graduates. To date, we’ve supported 143 women from over 20 sectors through SheGenerate, enabling them to progress with their business and be part of our unrivalled peer-to-peer network. This graduation ceremony marks a major milestone in our mission to empower women entrepreneurs across the island of Ireland. I would like to thank InterTradeIreland for their support of our SheScales initiative and AIB and British Business Bank for their continued support of our SheGenerate programme. By listening to women founders and backing our vision, they are transforming the levels of success for women founders here.”
Sarah Marie Rust, founder of EVE Mobility, Dublin, and a graduate of the SheScales programme, said: “Having gone through the SheScales programme and taken part in the recent US Trade Mission, I feel AwakenHub is probably the only community across this island who have cracked what women founders need. Taking part in their programmes is one of the best investments you will ever make for yourself and your business. You easily get ten times back what you put in if you are prepared to do the work and make the most of the opportunities offered. We’re prepping to head back to the US with a new strategic partner next week, and I know I’ll make so much more of this opportunity because of the knowledge gained through AwakenHub and AwakenAngels.”
Elaine Patterson, Programme Manager, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at InterTradeIreland, said: “Women’s entrepreneurship is a key pillar of the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme, and as such, InterTradeIreland, in collaboration with Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, is delighted to support AwakenHub’s SheScales programme. This AwakenHub graduation ceremony and the progress these women have made in their companies are proof of the importance of programmes like SheScales in empowering women entrepreneurs across the island and enabling them to realise and exploit fully the economic and societal potential of their businesses. I wish the SheScales graduates every success and congratulate AwakenHub on delivering yet another impactful programme for women founders.”
Meg Magill, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project Manager, InterTradeIreland, added: “At InterTradeIreland, we understand the importance of collaboration across the island of Ireland, particularly for women founders. They regularly tell us how important access to strong, collaborative networks is for them in growing and scaling their businesses, and that is certainly what they’ve found in the AwakenHub community, alongside world-class business mentoring from Cranfield University. We look forward to seeing where these graduates take their businesses in the months and years ahead.”
Professor Stephanie Hussels, Director of the Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship at Cranfield School of Management, commented: "Cranfield University was delighted to join AwakenHub’s SheScales programme as a delivery partner. With our extensive experience in entrepreneurship education and supporting high-growth ventures, we saw this as a natural fit. The programme aligns with our commitment to empowering underrepresented founders and creating visible role models for women in business. From the opening module to the graduation event, we were inspired by the drive and ambition of the participants. Their eagerness to absorb knowledge, whether in market entry, investor readiness, or scaling strategies, was remarkable, and we look forward to seeing how they put their learning into action.”
Speaking about AIB’s support for women founders, Ellen Drumm, Head of Communications & Stakeholder Engagement, Retail External Engagement at AIB, said: “Supporting women-owned businesses is a priority for AIB. From listening to women founders, we understand how important mentoring and connectivity is to help them to grow their businesses, and that’s why we are proud to support AwakenHub’s SheGenerate programme. Through this, more women have access to incredible opportunities, key mentoring and information, and, importantly, a real community of supportive founders who are at a similar stage in their business journey. We are proud to be a part of that and to help make it happen.”
Susan McKane, Senior Manager, UK Network – Northern Ireland, British Business Bank, added: “Congratulations to all the inspiring female entrepreneurs who have graduated from both the SheGenerate and SheScales programmes. At the British Business Bank we are committed to supporting female entrepreneurs by improving their access to tools, resources and finance. In supporting SheGenerate since its inception, and with the fourth cohort now graduating, it’s very evident that we have an abundance of incredibly talented female entrepreneurs right across Ireland, and it’s great to see how SheScales is supporting those who are now at that next stage of their journey. As a proud supporter of both AwakenHub and AwakenAngels, we would also echo their encouragement for female entrepreneurs to avail of these incredibly impactful programmes of support.”
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