As we explore the women of the European startup and VC scene, having covered, among others, France, Italy, Finland, and the Top 100 Women in VC in CEE it is time to shift our focus to Ireland. In the startup field, historically dominated by men, Ireland is making notable strides, and its capital city Dublin stands as a testament to the rising influence of women in the entrepreneurial realm. The 2023 Women Entrepreneur Cities Index ranked the Irish capital in the global 25 top cities that attracted and fostered female high-potential entrepreneurs. Moreover, according to Techireland, one in four startups that successfully raised funding in 2022 had a female founder or co-founder at the helm, and the impending data for 2023 is set to show even more improvement in these trends. 

So without further ado, join us as we shine a spotlight on some of the leading women in Ireland's VC and startup ecosystem, celebrating their accomplishments and contributions to the country's vibrant landscape.

Nicola McClafferty

Partner, Molten Ventures

Nicola McClafferty is a seasoned investor and entrepreneur, successfully supporting the growth of the VC and startup ecosystem across Ireland and beyond. Nicola is a Partner at Molten Ventures, a VC firm developing and investing in disruptive, high-growth tech startups.  Additionally, she is a Board Director at &Open, and a Board Member at Material Exchange, allplants, and Manna Drone Delivery.

Amy Neale

General Partner, Delta Partners

Amy Neale is a prominent business figure, who has an impact on the development of the startup and VC scene in Ireland. As a General Partner at Delta Partners, she is an established investor, supporting Irish early-stage companies. She is a startup supporter, expert, and board observer of GoContractor and Dimply.

Faye Walsh Drouillard

Founder & Managing Partner, WakeUp Capital 

Faye Walsh Drouillard holds the position of Founder and Managing Partner at WakeUp Capital, a venture capital impact fund, focused on backing early-stage businesses focused on sustainability and making a positive impact. What is more, she is a Board Observer at MagrowTec and a Chair of Impact Syndicate at Halo Business Angel Network (HBAN).

Debbie Rennick

General Partner, Act Venture Capital 

Debbie Rennick is a General Partner at Act Venture Capital, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments, collaborating with emerging founders and established teams navigating growth. With a total capital raised exceeding €600m through various funds, their mission is to back groundbreaking, market-leading companies in expansive markets.

Ellen McCance Pinschmidt

Venture Partner, MiddleGame Ventures

Ellen McCance Pinschmidt is a Venture Partner at MiddleGame Ventures, which specializes in early-stage fintech investments in North America and Europe. She serves on boards and advises organizations in climate, social justice, and education. Previously, she was COO at Genscape, leading a successful turnaround for the business sale.

Jennifer McMahon

Partner, Seroba Life Sciences

Jennifer McMahon is a Partner at Seroba Life Sciences, a European venture capital company specializing in innovative therapeutics and medtech companies. She is passionate about improving gender diversity in the entrepreneurial space and she has done so by establishing the Irish chapter of Level 20, a nonprofit organization focused on advancing female representation in the private equity industry. Currently, she also serves as the International Chair of the organization. With over 12 years of experience in the field, Jennifer has made significant contributions to the healthcare and investment sectors.

Denise Sidhu

Chair of the Irish Venture Capital Association and Partner, Kernel Capital

Denise Sidhu is a Director and Partner at Kernel Capital and the Chair of the Irish Venture Capital Association. With over 20 years of experience in investing, advising, scaling, and exiting early-stage technology companies in Ireland and the UK, she is a seasoned venture capital professional. She also serves as a board member for several portfolio investors.

Sarah Irwin

Venture Partner, CircleRock Capital 

Sarah Irwin, a seasoned female professional in the market, leverages her expertise to assist startups in their post-seed and Series A+ stages. She currently holds the position of Venture Partner at CircleRock Capital, a European co-investment firm focused on technology companies. Additionally, Sarah is the CEO and Founder of ITGC Consulting, helping companies with their biggest bottlenecks. 

Sorcha Mulligan

Venture Partner, The SME Chain 

Sorcha Mulligan is a Venture Partner at The SME Chain, aiding sustainable growth for innovators in FinTech, Blockchain, Metaverse, and Web3 verticals. She is a startup advisor and mentor. In the past, she held the position of Ambassador at the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency, a platform designed for women aspiring to augment their knowledge and education in the expanding realms of cryptocurrency, blockchain, web3, and associated technologies and services.

Martina Fitzgerald

CEO, Scale Ireland

Martina Fitzgerald is deeply committed to innovations and entrepreneurship. Boasting extensive experience within the Irish business landscape, she presently holds the position of CEO at Scale Ireland—a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Irish tech startups and scaling companies through strategic collaborations with significant national and global corporate partners. Additionally, Martina serves as an Advisory Board Member at the Europe Startup Nations Alliance (ESNA).

Elaine Coughlan

Co-founder & Managing Partner, Atlantic Bridge

Elaine Coughlan is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Atlantic Bridge, a Global Growth Technology Fund, which has established a global presence with offices in Silicon Palo Alto, Dublin, London, Munich, and Paris. She has extensive experience in the technology investment industry and has been recognized as one of the Inspiring Top 50 Women in Europe and Europe's Top 100 Women in Technology. Her successful track record in the technology sector includes being a Co-Founder of GloNav (GPS) acquired by NXP and serving as CFO and VP of Finance in three successful technology Nasdaq IPOs.

Ciara Clancy

Founder & CEO, Beats Medical 

Ciara Clancy holds the roles of Founder and CEO at Beats Medical, a digital therapeutics company that specializes in assessments and therapies for neurological and CNS conditions. Her passion lies in utilizing technology and data science to revolutionize the management and understanding of CNS and rare conditions.

Jennifer Corley

Director, EquiTrace

Jennifer Corley holds a Director position at EquiTrace, a vet tech, horse health platform designed for the needs of every enterprise from the single horse owner to large studs to regulatory authorities. In the past, she was a CEO at EquiTrace and is an owner of Veterinary Advances. 

Niamh Donnelly

Co-Founder, Akara Robotics

Niamh Donnelly, co-founder of AkaraRobotics, a healthcare technology company on a mission to revolutionize public health through innovative technology solutions. With engineering roles at Etsy and Syze, she's earned national awards for her AI research and the EU Women Innovators Prize. Silicon Republic highlighted her as one of "20 women doing fascinating work in AI, machine learning, and data science.

Niamh Dooley

Co-Founder, BiaSol

Niamh Dooley is a Co-Founder and the Head of Operations at BiaSol, a food tech startup producing nutritious foods that are made from repurposed leftover grains collected from Irish Breweries. What is more, at the beginning of 2023, she launched the Circular Food Co, which focused on upcycling food. 

Sonia Neary

Co-Founder & Managing Director, Wellola

Sonia Neary is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at Wellola, a healthcare communications system. This system allows clients to connect with their designated clinicians at any time through their clinic's website.

Leonora O’Brien

Lead Entrepreneur, Going For Growth

Leonora O’Brien is a Lead Entrepreneur at Going for Growth, the community of female entrepreneurs in Ireland, supporting female founders. In the past, Leonora also founded a startup Pharmapod,  a cloud-based software, supporting the healthcare industry.

Lucy O’Keefe

CEO, CroíValve

Lucy O’Keefe serves as a CEO at CroíValve, a medical device company, dedicated to the development of a distinctive transcatheter device designed for repairing the tricuspid valve. At the beginning of 2022, the company raised €8 million in Series A funding round.

Anne Reilly

Founder, PaycheckPlus

After founding the PaycheckPlus, Anne Reilly held there the CEO position till October 2022. The company is a payroll outsourcing service provider, now a part of  IRIS Software Group. Since then Anne has been a Business Mentor, supporting startups on their development journey.

Fiona Edwards Murphy

Co-Founder & CEO, ApisProtect

Fiona Edwards Murphy co-founded and serves as a CEO at ApisProtect, an intelligent sensor technology that offers real-time monitoring for bees. Through actionable insights and alerts, ApisProtect assists beekeepers in preventing losses and enhancing colony productivity. What is more, she is a Lecturer at the University College Cork.

Larrisa Feeney

Founder, Accountant Online

Larrisa Feeney serves as the Founder and CEO of Accountant Online, a digital finance and business services company specializing in offering accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, company secretarial, and tax preparation services to startups and SMEs. The company's mission is to assist businesses across Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Áine Kerr

Co-Founder & COO, Kinzen

Áine Kerr co-founded Kinzen, a technology company focused on assisting platforms in identifying and preventing misinformation and disinformation. After 2022, when Spotify acquired Kinze, Áine is serving as a director at Spotify, leading the Content Safety Analysis team. In the past, she assumed the role of Manager of Global Journalism Partnerships at Facebook.

Nora Khaldi

Founder & CEO, Nuritas

Nora Khaldi is passionate about molecular evolution, bioinformatics, and innovations. She is a Founder and CEO of Nuritas, a platform that allows one to identify and clinically test and patent peptides. Additionally, she is a Member of the governing board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and a Member of the Forbes Business Council.

Fidelma McGuirk

Founder & CEO, Payslip

Fidelma McGuirk founded Pyslip, a global Payroll Management SaaS. The software functions as a middleware platform, seamlessly integrating employer, employee, and payroll provider workflows to provide a fully unified global payroll process.

Claire McHugh

Co-Founder & CEO, Axonista

Claire McHugh co-founded and holds the CEO position at Axonista. This video innovation platform empowers media companies and brands to provide streaming and video commerce experiences on both web and OTT platforms. What is more, she is a Member of the Board Of Directors at the Irish Film Institute and a Board Member at ScaleIreland. She is also an innovation expert and advisor.

Suzanne Moloney

Founder, HidraMed

Suzanne Moloney, facing years of misdiagnosis and wound pain, took matters into her own hands and launched her business with the support of the BioExel Program at the University of Ireland. HidraMed, her medtech startup, is dedicated to developing advanced wound dressings for the everyday care of chronic wounds.

Sheena Bailey

Co-Founder & CEO, TestReach

Sheena Bailey is dedicated to providing innovative services and software, which is evident in her role as the Co-Founder and CEO of TestReach. This cloud-based application offers a scalable and cost-effective solution for delivering assessments online.

Susan Spence

Co-Founder & President, SoftCo

With over 25 years of experience, Susan Spence serves as the President of SoftCo, a company specializing in software automation for eProcurement, Accounts Payable, Vendor Management, Payments, and Compliance. It is worth adding that the company has one million global users across all industry sectors.

Hannah Wrixon

Founder, Get The Shifts

Hannah Wrixon is a serial entrepreneur and a prominent female figure in the Irish business landscape. With three successful startup exits under her belt, she also serves as a mentor and advisor for startups. One of her notable ventures is Get The Shifts, an app facilitating connections between individuals and hospitality work shifts on mobile devices. Furthermore, Hannah contributes as an EI Mentor at Enterprise Ireland.

Sonya Lennon

Founder, Dress for Success Dublin

Sonya Lennon is an experienced entrepreneur, founder, and expert. She is a Founder of Dress for Success Dublin, to supports women entrepreneurs. What is more, she is a Founder of WorkEqual, an organization supporting women toward economic independence. Sonya is also a podcast creator and keynote speaker.

Patricia Scanlon

Founder, SoapBox Labs

Patricia Scanlon is a well-known female entrepreneur on the Irish business scene. She is a Founder and previously held the CEO position at SoapBox Labs, a kid-specific voice AI, developing a speech recognition technology for kids. Currently, she is Ireland's AI Ambassador at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Rhona Togher

Co-Founder & CEO, Lios

Rhona Togher is a Co-Founder and CEO at Lios. This startup is developing products to eradicate noise pollution and avoidable hearing damage. Together with Eimear O'Carroll, Rhona won the European Inventor Award.

Sarah-Jane Larkin

General Director, Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA)

Sarah-Jane Larkin has over 15 years of experience in commercial and general management and policy advocacy. Currently, she is a General Director at the Irish Capital Association (IVCA), an organization dedicated to venture capital and private equity firms in Ireland. It is worth highlighting that IVCA members have invested over €2.5bn in Irish SMEs in the last three years.

Carla Rosenkranz

Founder & CEO, Barterchain

Carla Rosenkranz is a Founder and CEO of Barterchain. This peer-to-peer, matchmaking platform allows its users to swap their skills and services free of charge.

Mary McKenna

Co-Founder, AwakenHub

Mary McKenna is an experienced female market player. She is an innovation expert advisor, serial tech entrepreneur, and angel investor. She is a Co-Founder of AwakenHub, a community for Irish women entrepreneurs. What is more, she is an Expert Advisor to the European Commission, being an EU Jury member for programs such as Horizon Europe.

Harriet Treacy

Founder, Beyondbmi

Harriet Treacy is a Founder of Beyondbmi, a health tech startup, specializing in supporting the fight against obesity. In January 2023,  Beyondbmi raised €525k to launch its new platform.

Michelle Tierney

Co-Founder & CSO, SymPhysis Medical

Michelle Tirney holds a Co-Founder & CSO position at SymPhysis Medical/ This early-stage startup is focused on developing patient-focused solutions in palliative care. In 2022 the startup raised €1.9 million. The funding round was led by HBAN, DBIC Ventures, Enterprise Ireland, and private investors.

Nicky Deasy

Member, Global Women in VC 

Nicky Deasy is an experienced entrepreneur and startup advisor. She held a Managing Partner position at The Yield Lab Europe, a VC firm supporting agrifood tech startups across Europe. What is more, Nicky is an Advisor at BioInnovation Institute and a Member of the Global Women in VC.

Maeve Bleahene

Co-Founder & Head of Operations, Peroptyx

After graduating from the University of Stirling, Meave Bleahene gained her professional experience while working as a Director of Global Recruitment & SR HR Manager at Lionbridge Technologies. In 2019 she co-founded a machine-learning company- Peroptyx. In its last funding round, the startup has raised €1.7 million in seed funding.

Sinead Crowley

Co-Founder, AwakenHub

Sinead Crowley is an experienced entrepreneur, director, and innovator. She is a Co-Founder of AwakenHub, an Irish community aiming to promote and support women founders. Additionally, Sinead is an expert and startup advisor.

Sorcha Killian

Co-Founder, Hygiene Hub

Sorcha Killian has a long professional history as a startup supporter and mentor. In the past, she assumed the role of Program Manager at PUBLIC and Growth Fund Manager at Web Summit. Currently, she is a Fund Specialist at SWGfL and is a Co-Founder of Hygiene Hub, a charity organization supporting those who require hygiene services. 

Sinead Fitzmaurice

CEO, TransferMate Global Payments

Sinead Fitzmaurice is the CEO of TransferMate Global Payments, a B2B payments technology firm, that enables companies to send and receive cross-border payments. 

Shona D'Arcy

Founder & CEO, Kids Speech Labs

Shona D’Arcy is the Founder and the CEO of Kids Speech Labs. This digital health startup is focused on developing speech-enabled tools for parents to control and understand speech development.

Laura McDermott

Founder & CEO, Colectivo

Laura McDermott is a Founder & CEO of Colectivo, a consulting firm dedicated to assisting organizations in their transition toward more sustainable business models. Laura was named one of the Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise by the Euclid Network.

Laura Dillon

Partner, Waterland Private Equity

Laura Dillon is a Partner of Waterland Private Equity, where she aims to provide support to local businesses and entrepreneurs as they embark on their growth journeys.

Brenda Jordan

Founder & CEO, SOBI Analytics

Brenda Jordan is a Founder & the CEO of SOBI Analytics, an AI-driven platform to automate data analysis and trending, benchmarking, and business forecast processes.

Derval O’Rourke

Co-Founder, SAOL

Derval O’Rourke is an Irish Olympian and former World Champion. In 2018 she co-founded SAOL, an app that delivers workplace wellbeing solutions for businesses. In November 2023, the company has raised  €200,000  from Enterprise Ireland.

Aisling Kirwan

Co-Founder, Positive Carbon

Aisling Kirwan is a Co-Founder of Positive Carbon, a company delivering food waste monitoring technology for restaurants and hotels. In the past, Anne was also a Food App Community Manager at OzHarvest and a Customer Success Manager at FoodCloud. 

Rosanne Longmore

CEO, Coroflo

Rosanne Longmore serves as the CEO at Coroflo, a femtech company delivering products to help monitor breastfeeding, thanks to real-time data tracking. In May 2023, Coroflo raised raised €2,000,000 for further development. 

Francesa Abeton

Co-Founder & CEO, WhyzeHealth

Francesa Abeton has over 20 years of professional experience in established companies. She is a Co-Founder and since 2021 she has held the position of CEO at WhyzeHealth. This health tech startup connects the healthcare system by using AI tools.

Emma Meehan

Founder, Precision Sports Technology

Emma Meehan is the founder of Precision Sports Technology, a startup dedicated to developing computer vision software to deliver real-time exercise technique feedback. The goal is to enhance performance, reduce injuries, and encourage greater participation.

Sohini De

Founder & CEO, Empeal

Sohini De founded Empeal, where she is currently serving as a CEO. This medtech startup developed a tool for health risk management emphasizing the prevention and control of chronic diseases.

Áine Denn

Co-Founder, Altify

Áine Denn has several years of experience in building successful businesses. She is an advisor and a startup mentor. In the past, she co-founded Altify, a Customer Revenue Optimization company. Currently, she holds a Chair position at EquiTrace and is a Board Member at Technology Ireland.

Aileen O'Toole

Co-Founder, WomanUp

Aileen O'Toole, a seasoned business mentor and serial entrepreneur, guides companies and founders on digital strategy, customer-centric innovation, and technology. She co-founded WomanUp, a consultancy focused on female leadership, dedicated to supporting and empowering women entrepreneurs.

Anne Heraty

Non-Executive Director, Cpl Group

Anne Heraty serves as the Non-Executive Director of the Cpl Group, an employment services provider. In January 2021, Outsourcing Inc acquired Cpl, and following the acquisition, Anne assumed a position on the global board of directors of Outsourcing Inc.

Gillian Doyle

CEO, Finvence

Gillian Doyle, a Co-Founder and former CEO of Cerebreon Technologies, an insolvency technology company, has been in the role of CEO at Finvence since 2023. Finvence specializes in providing analytics and insights across the consumer financial spectrum.

Emma Meehan

Founder, Precision Sports Technology

Emma Meehan is the founder of Precision Sports Technology, a company that is developing wearable-free software to provide real-time feedback and analysis on exercise techniques. On top of that, she is also an experienced software engineer, having worked on highly-distributed back-end software systems for Cisco Webex as well as a competitive Olympic weightlifter and qualified personal trainer.  Emma has been recognized for her achievements, including being named in the Irish Times Top 50 People To Watch in Ireland 2023 and the Sport For Business 30 Under 30 Future Leaders in Tech 2022.

Dee Coakley

CEO, Boundless

Dee Coakley is the CEO of Boundless, a platform that offers global employment, benefits, and payroll services. She is a highly experienced leader in the field of international HR compliance and has a strong background in B2B SaaS. Dee has successfully co-founded and led multiple companies, including Lucid and Axonista, and has raised significant funding for her ventures.

Emily Castles

Co-founder and CPTO, Boundless

Emily Castles is a co-founder and CPTO at Boundless, a company that simplifies global employment. With a focus on building stable software, Emily ensures robust compliance and oversees payroll and benefits for users. She has extensive experience in the tech industry, including her previous role as Head of Engineering at Bizimply.

Niamh Bushnell

Founder, Techireland

Niamh Bushnell is the Chief Marketing Officer at SoapBox Labs, a voice AI company focused on delivering engaging voice experiences for children. She also has a rich and diverse background in the startup field, with a wide range of engagements and achievements in organizations such as TechResources, Enterprise Ireland, Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (NYC), and Dublin Globe. She is also the founder of TechIreland, a platform that provides comprehensive data on the Irish tech ecosystem, including startups, investors, and support organizations. 

Nikki Lannen

Founder & CEO, WarDucks

Nikki Lannen is the CEO and Founder of WarDucks, a company focused on building fun and innovative games across various platforms. She has also been involved in the gaming industry as a client partner for Facebook, working with top game businesses in Europe. Nikki's expertise in online advertising and helping them optimize their business strategies.

Helen McBreen

Partner, Atlantic Bridge

Helen McBreen is a Partner at Atlantic Bridge and a Kauffman Fellow. With over 18 years of experience in early-stage investing, she manages investments in innovative deep-tech companies. Helen has successfully financed over 45 companies in sectors such as software, hardware, and health tech. She holds a PhD in AI-based conversational agents and multimodal interfaces. Helen is also involved in various organizations as a board member and advisor, and she is recognized as one of the Top 100 Women in STEM in Ireland.

Aisiling Teillard

Co-founder & CEO, Our Tandem

Aisling Teillard is the Chief Customer Officer at Beqom, a compensation and performance management software company. With over 25 years of experience in HR, she has led global change initiatives and established HR shared service organizations. Aisling has also established Our Tandem, a digital employee experience and engagement solution. Aisling's achievements include transforming performance management, talent management, and leading cultural change programs.

Suzanne McElligott

CEO, IAB Ireland

Suzanne McElligott is the Chief Executive Officer at IAB Ireland and a Director at IAB Europe. With over 14 years of experience in the online advertising industry, she has played a significant role in leading cross-industry collaboration to produce valuable initiatives reflecting global best practices. Suzanne is also a Board Member of the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI). Her expertise lies in digital and traditional marketing, media measurement research, regulatory affairs, and leadership of trade organizations

Eimear O'Carroll

Co-founder and CEO, Lios

Eimear O'Carroll is the CTO and Co-founder of Lios, an Irish start-up focused on developing materials and technologies to reduce noise pollution and hearing damage. She has been instrumental in commercializing Lios's technology and building strategic global partnerships. Eimear has led the research and product development team, overseeing the creation of innovative products like SoundBounce, a noise-canceling smart material. She has also worked as a President of an Edinburgh University Water of Life Society.

Gráinne Dwyer

Founder, Heritage

Gráinne, former CEO of the Ludgate Initiative, Advisor for the European Innovation Council, and a Steering Group Member at Scale Ireland. She is a Founder of Heritage, offering online content creation services. What is more, Gráinne was recognized as one of the Irish Independent's '30 Under 30 shaping Ireland's future. 

Sohini Ide

Founder & CEO, Empeal

Sohini Ide is an experienced entrepreneur fueled by a deep passion for innovation and dedicated to nurturing both the Irish and Indian startup ecosystems as well as SMEs. She is a Founder and holds the role of the CEO at Empeal, a tool designed for Health Risk Management, prioritizing the prevention and effective management of chronic diseases.

Helen Fullen

Founder, Alinea

Helen Fullen is a fervent supporter and specialist in female entrepreneurship, and is an experienced speaker who engages in national and international conferences, sharing insights on startups, female entrepreneurship, and resilient leadership. She is a Founder and CEO of Alinea, offering entrepreneurship training.

Niamh Sterling

Co-Founder, Recipe Guru

Niamh Sterling is a Co-Founder of Recipe Guru, a platform that transforms cookbooks into, digitized recipe content. In the past, Niamh was holding the Partner position at Furthr VC, an early-stage venture capital firm. Currently, she is a Senior Business Consultant at the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), supporting and a Mentor for the European Innovation Council’s Women in Leadership program. 

Catherina Butler

Founder- The Naked Collective

Catherina Butler is a Founder of The Naked Collective, a beverage startup working on carbon-neutral drinks. In 2021, the startup closed a €6.2 million funding round for further expansion. 

Clare McGee

Co-Founder, AwakenAngels

Clare McGee has over 20 years of experience in supporting startups in Ireland. She is an expert, mentor, and experienced co-founder. Clare co-founded Innovate-NI. It is an innovation consulting firm dedicated to fostering the growth of sustainable local businesses throughout Northern Ireland. What is more, she is a co-founder of AwakenClub and AwakenAngels, supporting the growth of the startup ecosystem.

Mary Carty

Co-Founder, AwakenHub

Marty Carty is an active female entrepreneur and a co-founder of AwakenClub and AwakenAngels. What is more, she served as a Business Mentor at EBRD. 

Denise McQuaid

Co-Founder, AwakenClub

Denise McQuaid, a mentor and growth advisor, is a co-founder of AwakenClub. Currently, she holds the position of Director at Co:cubed and serves as a Growth Advisor at Cranfield School of Management. Furthermore, she is a Steering Committee Member at Digital Irish. Additionally, Denise serves as a Deal Leader at GoBeyond, where she previously held the role of CEO. GoBeyond is an early-stage investment community that facilitates cross-border investment opportunities in Europe and globally.

Aisling Byrne

Founder & CEO, Nuw

Aisling Byrne is the Founder and CEO of Nuw, an app dedicated to establishing a platform for users to share and swap clothes. The startup's mission is to revolutionize the fashion industry.

Terri Moloney

Non-executive Director, Enterprise Ireland

A successful business leader who has served in various functions and industries in Ireland and internationally. Presently serving as a non-executive Director at Enterprise Ireland, the government organization entrusted with fostering the development and expansion of Irish enterprises in global markets.

Lisa Dillon

Non-executive Director, Enterprise Ireland

Lisa Dillon serves as a Non-Executive Director at Enterprise Ireland, contributing to the advancement of business growth in the country. Additionally, she leads Microsoft's Small Medium & Corporate divisions in the EMEA region.

Tara Shine

Co-CEO, Change by Degrees

Tara Shine is a co-CEO at Change by Degrees, an online learning platform, for employees, to educate about sustainability and environmental matters. Additionally, Tara is a Board Member at Entreprise Ireland.

Maeve Kneafsey

Co-Founder, CloudKIP

Maeve Kneafsey is a Co-Founder of CloudKIP,  an analytics software solution aiming to help businesses make data-driven decisions. What is more, she is a Mentor and Advisor at Entreprise Ireland and a digital transformation expert.

Iseult Ward

Co-Founder & CEO, FoodCloud

Iseult, as the co-founder and CEO of the acclaimed social enterprise FoodCloud, has played a pivotal role in establishing two impactful national solutions for food redistribution in Ireland. This includes a network of three food banks redistributing substantial surplus food across the country and a technology solution connecting food businesses directly to local charities. In addition to her role at FoodCloud, Iseult serves as a board member for Tangent - Trinity's Idea Workspace, the Trinity Business School Advisory Board, and the Board of Directors at Social Entrepreneurs Ireland.

Aoibheann O'Brien

Co-Founder & Partnerships Director, FoodCloud

Aoibheann O'Brien is a Co-Founder and Partnerships Director at FoodCloud, actively addressing the issue of food waste. Previously, she held the position of Environmental Consultant at ERM, where she conducted environmental, health, safety, and social due diligence for financial transactions across diverse sectors such as mining, oil & gas, power, manufacturing, and infrastructure.

Michelle Dervan

Founder, SkillsTrust

Michelle Dervan is a Founder of the SkillsTrus, a platform for employment assessments. What is more, she is a Venture Partner at Rethink Education, a Venture Capital fund investing in impactful education technology companies. 

Paula Marie Kilgarriff

Co-Founder, PhygitalTwin

Paula Marie Kilgarriff is a part of the Founding Team of PhygitalTwin, a sustainable e-commerce marketplace. What is more, she is a Startup Mentor at Techstars and a Lecturer at the Technological University of Dublin, where she shares her extensive knowledge on topics such as Web3, Metaverse, Blockchain Fundamentals, and Gen AI in Fashion Retail Management. 

Sonia Flynn

Non-Executive Director, Payslip

Sonia Flynn brings a wealth of experience in scaling organizations and catalyzing growth in both Big Tech and startup environments. Previously, she held the position of Director of Operations at Google and served as Managing Director at Facebook. Her active involvement in the startup landscape includes roles at SoundCloud, Hireup, Payslip, and Zego.

Founder, Cilter Technologies

Rena Maycock is a Founder of Cilter Technologies, a child-protection software that ensures a safe online experience for kids by analyzing all device data, filtering offensive content, and alerting parents to imminent threats.

Wendy Oke

CEO, TeachKloud

Wendy Oke is the  CEO of TeachKloud, an app for childcare management, simplifying paperwork, facilitating parent communication, and ensuring compliance management. What is more, she is a Lecturer at the National College of Ireland and Munster Technological University.

Avril Power

Co-Founder, Giyst

Avril Power is a Co-Founder of Giyst, an AI-powered solution that enables to summarize of long videos, providing transcripts and captions.

Jacqui Meskell

Co-Founder & CEO, Huggnote

Jacqui Meskell holds the roles of Co-Founder and CEO at Huggnote, a messaging app facilitating the expression of emotions through music. Since its inception in 2018, the startup has garnered users from over 200 countries and continues to pursue global expansion. Before this venture, Jacqui's background included experience as a communication consultant, but her passion for music remained a constant in her life.

Perry Meskell

Co-Founder & COO, Huggnote

Perry Meskell is an accomplished business professional with a demonstrated history in public sector governance. In 2018, she co-founded Huggnote, where she also serves as the Chief Operating Officer.

Elva Carri

Co-Founder, GirlCrew

Elva Carri is an active female market player in Ireland. She is a Co-Founder of GirlCrew, an online app, that provides a social network for women. What is more, she is a Product Marketing Manager at OnceHub.

Pamela Newenham

Co-Founder, GirlCrew

Pamela Newenham is the co-founder of GirlCrew, an inclusive community for women, both online and offline, boasting over 100,000 members across more than 50 cities worldwide. Additionally, she is a Marketing Manager at CoolPlanet.

Áine Mulloy

Co-Founder, GirlCrew

Áine Mulloy is an experienced entrepreneur, she is a Co-Founder of GirlCrew. What is more, she is a Board Member of Dublin Fringe Festival. Currently, she guides founders on their Go-To-Market strategy and establishes connections with industry and innovation leaders through our partner ecosystem as a Part of the Startup Loft Accelerator at AWS.

Julie Matkin

Co-Founder, Ctrl.io

Julie Matkin is a Co-Founder of Ctrl.io, a CRM tool for startups and sales managers, helping in managing the leads, pipeline, and deals.

Laura Cavanagh

Founder, Glitterbug

Laura Cavanagh is a seasoned Software Architect with many years of experience in the technology sector. She is a Co-Founder of Glitterbug, helping and supporting other businesses in creating apps.

Angela Griggio

Co-Founder & CEO, B-Datagray

Angela Griggio is a Co-Founder and the CEO at B-Datagray, a startup focusing on solving challenges with blockchain infrastructure.

Gillian Buckley

Investment Manager, WDC Investment Fund

Gillian Buckley is the Founder and Investment Manager of the WDC Investment Fund, a seed and venture capital fund with a focus on various sectors, including MedTech, ICT, GreenTech, and Food, supporting the growth of startups in the West of Ireland.

Mo Harvey

Founder & CEO, TRIBE Fintech

Mo Harvey is a Founder and CEO of TRIBE Fintech, a fintech startup with a mission to empower SMEs globally to streamline and enhance connections to business tools, communities, markets, and capital.

Fanny Talagrand

Head of EMEA Startup & SMB, Stripe

Fanny Talagrand is an experienced startup mentor and expert. In the past, she held several positions at Google, and currently, she is a Head of EMEA Startup and SMB at Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform for businesses.

Miriam O’Flynn 

Founder, Elephant Hive

Miriam O’Flynn is a Founder of Elephant Hive, an edtech startup delivering AI-driven, personalized, multimodal learning experiences. Previously, she served as the IT Program Manager for significant software development programs. Additionally, she held the role of eLearning Project Manager in various industries, including retail, pharmaceuticals, FMCG, and more.

Kate Hyde

Founder, Glencove

Kate Hyde is the Founder of Glencove, an Irish technology company specializing in providing and automating events and e-commerce solutions across the UK, Ireland, and a significant portion of Europe.

Lizzy Hayashida

Co-Founder & CEO, Change Donations

Lizzy Hayashida is enthusiastic about harnessing technology for positive change. As a Co-Founder and former CEO of Change Donations, she played a key role in leading the matchmaking platform dedicated to facilitating connections between donors and those in need.

To discover more VC funds check out our VC list - a complex database of the best early-stage venture capital funds investing in innovative startups across different verticals. Read More.

Get to know more impactful women shaping the startup and the VC scene in other countries! Check out the list below. 

Top Women from

• Top 25 Women in Central & Eastern Europe 
• Top 100 Women from Poland 
• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia 
• Finland
• France
• Greece
• Hungary
• Italy
• Latvia 
• Lithuania 
• Romania
• Serbia
• Slovakia 
• Slovenia
• Western Balkans.

Related Posts:

Top 100 Women in VC in CEE (by Aleksandra Wirth, Vestbee)

Top Women From VC and Startup Ecosystem In France (by Aleksandra Wirth, Vestbee)

Top Women From VC and Startup Ecosystem in Italy (by Aleksandra Woszczyk, Vestbee)