The EMPOWER Programme (female entrepreneurship programme in the West of Ireland which was launched last year ) is now commencing its second cycle commencing in Oct 2018. Last year over ninety females applied for this programme which is funded by the Department of Justice and Equality and the European Social Fund and run by the GMIT Innovation Hubs.
The EMPOWER programme aims to fast track female-led businesses by addressing specific challenges hindering their development. It has two parts:
“EMPOWER Start” is designed to test innovative ideas for market acceptance. EMPOWER Start is for women with an early stage idea or in business less than one year. This FREE programme will be delivered part-time over 12 weeks by start-up experts. This allows participants to balance their family commitments while at the same time planning and developing their new business. The programme rotates between Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. Learning is classroom based. The opportunity is to test your idea for customer acceptance.
Deirdre O Dwyer Veerasingam participated on the EMPOWER Start last year and during that time formed a new start up company called “Cardiotech Healthcare Ltd” www.cardiotech.ie .
The company is selling two non-invasive PC enabled diagnostic cardio-vascular devices new to the Irish market. The Vascular Explorer and Cardiologic Explorer have innovative technology in the detection of such diseases . ‘My background is in healthcare and Clinical information management systems. The Empower Programme has helped me acquire relevant skills to run my own business. The course instils the importance of group work and networking with team interactions applying principles of critical thinking, problem solving and sharing. The lecturers were engaging covering topics such as lean canvas, market research, financials, networking, funding sources and data protection. I have gained more confidence in my ability to structure my company and position it in the marketplace. ‘
EMPOWER Growth is for women entrepreneurs, across all sectors, who are strongly focused on growth. Ideally, their businesses will be well established and they will have been trading for at least two years.
Niamh Ryle from HomeCheck participated on EMPOWER Growth says the Empower Start programme is a brilliant option for female entrepreneurs in the early stages of their business. The program deals with all the main aspects of a business, from creating the business plan to marketing and selling your product. All the speakers were excellent and the information is invaluable, but the biggest benefit for me was the mentoring and networking provided by the group itself.
It really helped to increase my confidence in myself as a business woman and in my product. We’ve created a lasting relationship and I believe we will continue to provide help and support to each other beyond the programme into the future.
For more information on the EMPOWER Programme check out www.empowerher.ie or www.fb.me/empowerher ie or 094-9043198. For more information on the EMPOWER Explore event check out www.spiriteventwest.com
