Aspiring businesswomen are welcome at an event in UCC next week, which hopes to inspire potential female entrepreneurs to take the first steps towards starting their own business.

UCC Innovation will be hosting ‘Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs’ in the Western Gateway Building, University College Cork, on Thursday, 19 January at 6pm.

Paula Fitzsimons, Founder of Fitzsimons Consulting and co-host of the event, said the objective of the initiative is to increase the number of female-led innovative businesses of scale, focused on export markets.

“We want to introduce the possibility of an entrepreneurial career to particular groups of women that may not have considered it previously and where we believe untapped, entrepreneurial potential lies,” she said.

Paula will chair a panel discussion with three successful female entrepreneurs - Andrea Doolan, CEO & co-founder of Atlantia Clinical Trials, Dr Anne Cusack, co-founder and former CEO of Critical Healthcare, and Dr Barbara Ann Murphy, Founder of Equilume Ltd.

The event will also address how the new ‘Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs’ initiative, supported by Enterprise Ireland and KPMG, will support women who identify themselves as early-stage entrepreneurs and want to follow through on their ambitions.

Following the discussion, a networking event will take place, providing an opportunity for attendees to connect with one another, to share ideas and to explore the entrepreneurial space in Cork.

Enterprise Ireland reports that one in five people in Ireland aspire to start a business in the next 3 years, and there are approximately 3,400 new business owners every month in Ireland - 59% men and 41% women.

Speaking ahead of the event, Dr Sally Cudmore, Director of Innovation at UCC, said more women are needed in Ireland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“The objective of this new and exciting initiative is to increase the number of female-led innovative businesses of scale, focused on export markets… Through hearing inspirational stories from successful female role models, women are more likely to be inspired to go after their goals and pursue their entrepreneurial dreams,” she said.

This event is being held in partnership with Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs, Enterprise Ireland and KPMG. 

Those interested in attending can register on eventbrite.