Five winners from across Ireland awarded grants, mentoring, and support from Visa to grow and scale their business.
Spanning sectors as diverse as food, women’s health, haircare and physical education, Visa’s 2024 She’s Next Grant Programme winners were revealed and celebrated at an awards ceremony in Dublin this week.
The winners were: Claire Fullam from Remi Scalp Care; Marian Kennedy from Anewmum; Sinéad Ryan from Little Fitness; Denise Walsh from Curly Co; and Lisa Kleiner from Nibbed Cacao.
“Ireland is home to an incredible wealth of female talent and at Visa we’re proud to support them”
The 2024 She’s Next Grant Programme saw the largest number of applicants to date, with over 770 businesses applying. Since 2021, Visa’s She’s Next Grant Programme has awarded €215,000 in funding and coaching to 20 women entrepreneurs across Ireland.
Passion and innovation
Claire Fullam, founder of Remi Scalp Care in Dublin
This year’s overall winner, Claire Fullam, founder of Remi Scalp Care, was awarded a €50,000 grant, the largest business grant ever awarded by Visa’s She’s Next programme, having successfully pitched her business to Visa’s judging panel in January.
“Having been through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship myself with Sculpted By Aimee, I understand firsthand the challenges that come with growing a brand from the ground up”
Each of the four other winners received a €10,000 business grant to help take their next business steps with confidence.
Now in its fourth year, Visa’s She’s next provides women entrepreneurs with grants and mentoring support to grow their businesses.
“Ireland is home to an incredible wealth of female talent and at Visa we’re proud to support them,” said Mandy Lamb, managing director of Visa UK & Ireland.
“Recognising there is still more work to do to create an equitable future for female entrepreneurs, our She’s Next Grant Programme is designed to help uplift female-led small businesses and deliver the tools they need to thrive.
“Each of our five winners demonstrated immense potential and we look forward to supporting them on their journey to success through access to funding, mentoring and coaching. We’re delighted to congratulate our inspiring winners – Remi Scalp Care, Nibbed Cacao, CurlyCo, Little Fitness, and Anewmum – and remain focused on continuing to create an inclusive environment for small businesses in Ireland to grow.”
All five winners of the She’s Next Grant Programme will also receive mentoring from award-winning entrepreneur and Visa’s She’s Next Campaign Ambassador, Aimee Connolly, founder of Sculpted by Aimee.
Additionally, they will benefit from business coaching provided by MentorsWork, an initiative by Skillnet Ireland in partnership with the Small Firms Association (SFA). As part of the programme, the winners also participated in group pitch preparation sessions designed to equip them with the skills and confidence to excel when future funding opportunities arise.
“It’s truly inspirational to see the passion and innovation showcased by Visa’s five She’s Next winners,” Aimee Connolly said.
“Having been through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship myself with Sculpted By Aimee, I understand firsthand the challenges that come with growing a brand from the ground up. That’s why I’m excited to provide mentoring to this talented group of women entrepreneurs and share the insights and strategies that have helped me to grow and scale. I’m already looking forward to seeing what these businesses will achieve into the future.”
Main image at top: Pictured with Mandy Lamb, Visa Managing Director UK & Ireland, are winners Lisa Kleiner co-founder of Nibbed Cacao, Denise Walsh of CurlyCo haircare, Claire Fullam of Remi Scalp Care, Sinéad Ryan of Little Fitness and Marian Kennedy of Anewmum
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