Going for Growth – the business development programme for female entrepreneurs – is partnering with the University of Galway Innovation Office and IdeasLab to host a roadshow event at University of Galway next month.
The Going for Growth: Inspiring Roadshow will take place at the O’Donohue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance on the university campus on November 4. Doors open at 6pm. The event will run from 6.30pm to 9pm and includes time for networking and refreshments.
Registration is free and on the home page of the www.goingforgrowth.com website under ‘News Updates’.
The Inspiring Roadshow is one of a series planned in Dublin and Galway which are designed to provide information and encouragement to businesswomen at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey.
Alongside an array of special guest speakers, there will also be information on supports, like Going for Growth, an initiative for those aiming to increase revenue, create employment, and explore new market opportunities.
Speakers at the University of Galway event include Evelyn O’Toole, founder of sampling and testing service Complete Laboratory Solutions (CLS ); Niamh Ryan, founder of skincare company Ella & Jo; and Louella Morton, founder of TestReach, an online assessment solution.
Evelyn O’Toole founded CLS in Ros Muc, Connemara, in 1994 and over three decades has turned the company into the largest privately-owned contract laboratory in Ireland, delivering accredited sampling and testing services in food safety, environmental monitoring, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals.
Niamh Ryan co-founded Ella & Jo in Ballina, Co. Mayo, in 2017. She is a former brand manager with Unilever who has leveraged a master’s in marketing from DCU and the University of Illinois, and qualifications in advanced skin therapy, to create an innovative multi-purpose skincare brand that exports to 50 countries worldwide.
Louella Morton founded TestReach in 2014. The company provides an end-to-end online exam management system to professional bodies, educational and training organisations, and corporations in the financial services, pharma, and aviation sectors. TestReach employs more than 200 people, plus a further 200 exam invigilators.
These Inspiring Roadshows are taking place while the call for applications for a new cycle of Going for Growth is open, so enterprising women, at various stages of their entrepreneurial journey, can learn what is possible from the experience of other women.
Going for Growth is supported by Enterprise Ireland and KMPG.
The application window for the programme is open until midnight, November 21. Application forms can be requested from the website – www.GoingforGrowth.com
Sixty places are available for the free programme, which is due to begin with a one-day Launch Forum in January and will run until June.
National Director of Going for Growth, Paula Fitzsimons, said they are delighted to bring the Going for Growth Inspiring Roadshows to Galway and Dublin in November.
“We hope the information provided at these evenings, along with the contributions from our guest speakers, will encourage female entrepreneurs to be more ambitious in their business development goals. We also hope that it might inspire women currently in business to sign up for Going for Growth, a programme designed to aid those hoping to increase revenue, employment, and growth into new markets.
“The deadline for applications for the 18th cycle of Going for Growth is midnight on Friday, November 21, so Inspiring Roadshows come at just the right time for anyone who may be considering signing up.”
Dr. Natalie Walsh, Director of Entrepreneurial Development, University of Galway said that the programme has had a transformative impact on female entrepreneurship in Ireland and continues to inspire women to think ambitiously about their business potential.
“At the University of Galway, we place a strong emphasis on nurturing youth and inclusive entrepreneurship, ensuring that the next generation of founders see themselves represented and supported in Ireland’s innovation ecosystem. Events like this roadshow play an important role in connecting education, enterprise, and community, creating pathways for women to start, grow, and lead successful ventures.”
Fiona Neary, New Ventures Manager, University of Galway Innovation Office, said that currently, there is incredible momentum across research, innovation, commercialisation, and start-up activity that continues to empower female founders to scale their ideas and build impactful ventures.
“Being part of a network like Going for Growth is vital in bringing together a community of like-minded people with a common goal of supporting each other. Together we can inspire the next generation of women leaders contributing to societal advancement in Femtech.”
Log onto www.goingforgrowth.com for more details and to request an application form.
