Free Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs networking event in Dundalk

Three leading Irish female entrepreneurs will offer insight into the experience of starting and growing successful companies at an Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs event with THRIVE4women at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) on Wednesday 8 May.

Entrepreneurs Adrienne Magnier of Zarasyl, Aisling Kirwan of Positive Carbon, and Sinéad Crowther of Soothing Solutions will address the gathering and answer audience questions at the event which starts at 6.30pm at the Recital Room in the Carroll’s Building.

Now in its second year, Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs is supported by Enterprise Ireland and KPMG. Those attending the Dundalk event will have the opportunity to apply for the Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs support programme itself.

The Inspiring initiative seeks to ignite a flame among women with entrepreneurial ambitions to start a business, but who may not have yet taken steps towards making their aspiration a reality. It is designed to appeal to women from a variety of backgrounds who are seeking a change of direction, including female professionals and women in senior corporate positions, or those with doctoral and postdoctoral qualifications.  

Research shows that almost one in five women in Ireland aspire to start their own business and the initiative is focused on encouraging women to follow through on their entrepreneurial ambitions and establish businesses that are scalable, innovative, and focused on export markets. 

The 8 May event is just one of a range of events around the country aiming to inspire future female entrepreneurs and inform them about the supports available. The Dundalk event is being hosted by Thrive4Women. Tickets are free but those hoping to attend are requested to register in advance as spaces are limited. Places can be booked here   

Sinéad Crowther, co-founder of Soothing Solutions, was named the Enterprise Ireland High-Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Founder of the Year for 2023. Founded in 2017, the Louth-based healthcare firm manufactures a range of honey jelly pops called Tonstix to help children suffering from sore throats and coughs.

Adrienne Magnier founded Zarasyl in 2018 to bring innovative dermatological and wound care products to the global animal health market. The formulation was the result of a decade of research at Cambridge University (UK). Zarasyl is now widely available in the veterinary market in Ireland, the UK and the USA. 

Aisling Kirwan is the co-founder of Positive Carbon, which provides food waste data to commercial kitchens to enable them to substantially reduce their food waste, waste collections and reach sustainability goals. Aisling had been working in the food waste sector for over eight years across Ireland, the UK, Australia, and Chile, before establishing Positive Carbon in 2020, with her former colleague, Mark Kirwan. 

The event is organised by Lavina McGahon, Manager of the THRIVE4Women Programme, which is delivered by the Regional Development Centre in DkIT. 

MC for the evening is Paula Fitzsimons, the founder of Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs and national director of a range of business development initiatives including Going for Growth, Starting Strong, ACORNS and Back for Business. 

Lavina McGahon, THRIVE4women Programme Manager, Dundalk Institute of Technology said: “THRIVE4women has been at the forefront of supporting women in the region to launch STEM careers and businesses, and now we are truly delighted to host this event, giving a platform to three very successful female entrepreneurs to spread their stories of resilience and success.

"MC for the night is Paula Fitzsimons, the visionary force behind Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs initiative. Her dedication to empowering women, fostering entrepreneurship, and creating lasting networks has ignited many female entrepreneurs, and we genuinely look forward to being inspired.  

“We hope this event stimulates thought and discussion, generating some ideas on starting businesses of your own and following in the footsteps of Adrienne Magnier, Aisling Kirwan and Sinead Crowther.  We expect everyone will be wowed by the determination, resilience and focus these women show on their business journey! Their stories are important and need to be heard by everyone.” 

National Director of Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs, Paula Fitzsimons, said: “The objective of this compelling and inspiring initiative is to increase the number of female- led innovative businesses of scale, focused on export markets.

"Through the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) research, we know that more women in Ireland are aspiring to start new businesses and that the rate of early-stage female entrepreneurs that aspire for significant growth is also increasing.  

“Building on this fertile ground, we want to introduce the possibility of an entrepreneurial career to particular groups of high achieving women that may not have considered it previously, and where we believe untapped, entrepreneurial potential lies.” 

The Dundalk event is the latest in a series of Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs events taking place across the country in 2024, including events in Dublin and Galway that have already taken place.