Female entrepreneurs to share secrets at Dundalk event

Entrepreneurs Adrienne Magnier of Zarasyl, Aisling Kirwan of Positive Carbon, and Sinéad Crowther of Soothing Solutions will address the gathering and answer 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.

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 May 8 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.

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.

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.

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.

“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, said Ms McGahon.

“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.”:

“The support systems for starting your own business in Ireland are outstanding – all along the journey from seeding an idea, to turning it into a tangible service or product, to attracting and retaining customers, to accessing new global markets, there are so many opportunities to help turn your dreams into reality,” Founder and CEO of Zarasyl Adrienne Magnier said:

“The journey of an entrepreneur can be challenging but with support and expertise from Local Enterprise Offices, Enterprise Ireland, and programmes like Going for Growth, you realise that there is a community of like-minded people out there who are so willing to support you and help you be successful. It is a truly amazing entrepreneur ecosystem.”

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.