“It’s no secret the odds are stacked against women starting tech companies. We’re tired waiting so we’re taking matters into our own hands”, that’s the message from Irish entrepreneur Máirín Murray who has developed a global platform to tackle the gap in female founded tech startups.
Co Down entrepreneur Máirín, founder of women‑in‑tech innovation company TechFoundHer, has announced the global launch of the TechFoundHer Collective, an online platform designed to accelerate women into tech entrepreneurship.
She explained the new membership programme will give women the practical support and backing to start, lead and scale tech companies, even if they have no coding background.
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According to data commissioned by the Invest in Women Taskforce all-female founded businesses in Northern Ireland received just £2.5 million (2%) of the nation's total equity funding in 2024, male teams received £93.7 million in investment which was nearly 80% of the total amount invested.
“We’re launching The Collective on National Women’s Enterprise Day because the numbers speak for themselves - the challenges are global - we all know about the approx 2% of VC funding going to women led enterprises but what’s needed is action” said Máirín.
Against that backdrop, The Collective is backed by a powerful network of global investors and tech leaders including Kelly Vero (CTO in Residence), Lata Setty (Global Investor in Residence), Naseem Sayani (VC in Residence), Wendy Ryan (Angel Investor in Residence), Rose Tighe (Product Innovator in Residence), Ntola Obazee (Chief Marketing Officer in Residence) and Aarthi Kumar (Chief Data & AI Strategist in Residence) among others.
“The gender stereotyping of what a tech founder looks like is real. Women innovating with tech are facing a multitude of challenges. From less funding and backers to fewer accelerator places” Dublin based entrepreneur, Máirín said, adding: “with higher barriers for women starting tech ventures we need new thinking and solutions.
“The TechFoundHer Collective is our answer, founder-led - it’s a global network where women champion other women, share product and tech know-how and tap into investors who believe in them,” she explained.
Membership of the TechFoundHer Collective will give participants early access to tools, webinars and expert support and connect members with investors and industry champions.
Game industry icon Kelly Vero, the CTO in Residence for The Collective, said: “I’m thrilled to be joining TechFoundHer as CTO in Residence. I’ll be hosting Ask Me Anything sessions, this is a chance for members to ask me anything from building AI engines, designing games, creating clean tech stacks and surviving code chaos, to just staying sane while being the only woman in the room.”
TechFoundHer’s move comes as the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor reports a rise in women’s start‑up activity, up from 6.1% in the early 2000s to 10.4% in 2021‑23, yet still underscores the fact that women remain under‑represented in high‑growth tech sectors and leadership roles.
International investor and legal expert Lata Setty, Global Investor in Residence at The Collective said: “As Global Investor in Residence, thrilled to join the TechFoundHer Collective.
“Across the globe, women tech founders are crying out for a network that not only fuels innovation and collaboration, but also drives and measures progress.
“The TechFoundHer Collective delivers that momentum and so much more - helping founders move faster, build smarter, scale quicker and contribute to global impact.”
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From community build-a-longs hosted by founders, to hands-on workshops using disruptive tools like Lovable and Replit, The Collective is redefining what it means to build a startup in 2025 and beyond.
Early adopter, entrepreneur Susie Kilcoyne who is the founder of loyalty platform Locket, said: “With the Collective, you’re not going solo. You’re building alongside a crew of founders who are all figuring it out together. That’s what makes it powerful.”
For more information or to join The Collective go to techfound-her.mn.co
Sync NI's Summer 2025 magazine celebrates women in tech across Ireland as we continue to encourage more women to enter the thriving sector and address the current gender imbalance. Read the Summer 2025 Sync NI Magazine online for free here.
