ACORNS: 550 female rural entrepreneurs see €10m revenue boost
Some 550 female entrepreneurs based in rural Ireland increased their collective revenue by almost €10 million during participation in the ACORNS business development programme, according to a study.
An analysis of the ACORNS initiative by researchers at DCU (Dublin City University) Business School found that over the past ten years, the revenues of 550 ACORNS participants rose by an average of 51% during their participation in the six-month programme.
Combined end-of-cycle revenues for 550 ACORNS participants amounted to €29 million, representing a total increase of €9.8m across all ten cycles of the programme so far.
Report authors Prof. Colm O’Gorman, Prof. Theo Lynn and Maggie O’Gorman found that aggregate pre-cycle employment rose from 822 to 1,023 staff post-cycle, an increase of 201.
They reported that 29% of participants had exporting experience following the conclusion of their participation in ACORNS.
ACORNS, an initiative for early-stage female entrepreneurs based in rural Ireland, is now beginning its 11th cycle.
ACORNS has been running since 2014 and is funded through the Rural Innovation and Development Fund by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine.
Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine Martin Heydon launched the opening of the call for applications for ACORNS 11. The deadline for applications is midnight, September 22.
The programme is available to early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland who have generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2022. There are up to 50 places available.
ACORNS 11 will run from October 2025 to April 2026 and will include six monthly round table sessions, a briefing by various development agencies, and an end-of-cycle celebration.
Four businesses started to trade for the first time during the ACORNS 10 cycle. The combined annual turnover of participants in the latest cycle grew by 54%, increasing from €2.8m to €4.3m.
ACORNS 10 participants employed a total of 104 staff at the end of the cycle, an increase of 15. There were eighteen participants with export experience at the end of the cycle.
Commenting on the findings of the DCU research, Paula Fitzsimmons, director of ACORNS, said: "The research from DCU Business School highlights the positive impact that the ACORNS programme has had for past participants in terms of revenue, employment, and growth into the new markets.
"That ACORNS has helped female entrepreneurs from rural Ireland increase their collective revenue by €9.75m since our pilot programme in 2014 is testament to the quality of the programme, its participants and its lead entrepreneurs.
"We hope to continue the trends in revenue and employment with ACORNS 11 and look forward to receiving applications from the next group of early-stage female entrepreneurs," Fitzsimmons added.
Prof. Colm O'Gorman, co-author of the study, commented: "While female entrepreneurs in rural areas face challenges in starting and growing new business, the women that have completed ACORNS report that participation has had a transformative impact for them and their business.
"They speak of a sense of solidarity that develops through the roundtable interactions, through sharing business challenges, success and setbacks, and through participation with the broader ACORNS community.
