Digital Business Ireland, a leading online, ecommerce and digital representative body, has announced the launch of a new mentoring initiative aimed at supporting women working in a new digital start-up.
The initiative invites applications from women across Ireland, who established a start-up digital, ecommerce or technology business over the past two years.
Following a judging process, the selected applicant will be awarded with six one-to-one mentoring sessions, provided by former Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, and qualified Executive Business Coach and Mentor, Mary Mitchell O’Connor. Interested applicants can apply online via the Digital Business Ireland website. Applications are open and entries will be accepted until Friday, July 19.
Since its establishment in 2019, Digital Business Ireland has worked to provide learning and networking opportunities for women working across the digital, online and ecommerce sectors. The representative body also works in tandem with its membership, to offer support and advocacy to women in business through its Women in Digital Committee.
Secretary General of Digital Business Ireland, Lorraine Higgins, said: "The launch of the female mentoring initiative further signifies Digital Business Ireland’s ongoing commitment to supporting women in business.
"Women face a number of challenges when launching a start-up. Meaningful support and mentoring is a crucial component in overcoming these obstacles, and there is no one more suitable than Mary Mitchell O’Connor, to provide guidance and support in this area given her experience at the helm of policy development in this area in the Irish Government.
"Optimising the skills, talents and abilities of female entrepreneurs is an important step in increasing the participation of women in business, and Digital Business Ireland is proud to play its part in this regard.”
Chairperson of the Women in Digital Committee, Leila Shaddadi, said: "Since our foundation, Digital Business Ireland has sought to provide women working across the digital, ecommerce and technology sectors with the opportunities, support and insight to help them succeed.
"Mentoring is a valuable lever that women can activate for each other, especially in the start-up sector, and the launch of our female mentoring initiative is a natural extension of our work over the past year. Digital Business Ireland is honoured to be in a position to provide the opportunity to be guided by such an experienced female leader."
