Visa’s €90k She’s Next Grant Programme has identified mentorship as a challenge for women entrepreneurs as well as access to funding.
Irish-based women entrepreneurs have until 30 October to enter Visa’s She’s Next grant programme 2024.
Now in its fourth year, the programme will provide a €10,000 grant to four women entrepreneurs and one overall winner will receive €50,000 to help their business thrive.
“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”
All five winning applicants will also receive mentoring and business coaching from Aimee Connolly and MentorsWork, an initiative of Skillnet Ireland.
Mentoring matters
A study from Visa of more than 300 small business owners in Ireland found that access to mentorship is their top ask, alongside access to funding and venture capital.
In addition, the research findings highlighted both the challenges faced and the disparity that still exist between female and male small business owners across the country including:
- Access to funding and venture capital – men are twice as likely as women to have sourced and secured investment for their business (36% men versus 18% women).
- Family support gap – 42% of women pinpointed the struggle to balance family and caregiving responsibilities with business (versus 28% of men).
- Networking – 55% of women business owners stated they feel nervous walking into a room of strangers, compared to 39% of men.
“While progress has been made to narrow the gender gap in entrepreneurship, our commitment to addressing existing challenges remains resolute,” said Mandy Lamb, Managing Director UK & Ireland, Visa.
“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, founder and owner of Sculpted By Aimee, who was appointed Visa’s She’s Next judge and mentor 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.”
How to apply
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.
Wit the closing date of 30th October looming, entries can be submitted here. Terms and conditions apply.
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