It was announced today that Enterprise Ireland’s €750,000 Competitive Start Fund (CSF) for Female Entrepreneurs will open for applications on Wednesday 3rd May.
Up to €50,000 in equity funding is available to a maximum of 15 successful female applicants with early stage start-up companies. Last year, one in three companies who received CSF investment from Enterprise Ireland were female-led.
The purpose of this CSF is to accelerate the growth of female-led start-up companies that have the potential to employ more than 10 people and achieve €1 million in export sales within three years.
The fund is designed to enable those companies reach key commercial and technical milestones which will ensure delivery of their product or service to an international audience.
As well as securing up to €50k in funding, 10 of the successful applicants will also have the opportunity to participate in Dublin BIC’s INNOVATE accelerator programme. Delivered over a 12-week period in the Guinness Enterprise Centre, the interactive INNOVATE programme will increase the capabilities of the participants and move them to investor-ready within a short period.
Welcoming the initiative, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor said, "Enterprise Ireland’s dedicated Competitive Start Fund for Female Entrepreneurs was put in place five years ago to encourage more women to start businesses and to provide a launch platform for business women in the Manufacturing and Internationally Traded Services sectors."
She added, "Last year, 34% of CSF recipients were female entrepreneurs and this new €750,000 fund for 2017 will provide valuable and practical support for the next generation of female-led companies with global ambition to compete in export markets."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
