ACORNS is today (Tuesday, July 6) marking a decade of supporting early-stage female entrepreneurs in rural Ireland with the launch of the 10th cycle of the business development programme.
ACORNS, which stands for Accelerating the Creation Of Rural Nascent Start-ups, is funded through the Rural Innovation and Development Fund by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The free initiative, developed by Fitzsimons Consulting, is based on the belief that early-stage entrepreneurs learn best from their peers.
This programme has supported around 400 women in rural Ireland to develop their businesses over the last ten years.
Participants interact with each other in the monthly round table sessions, which are facilitated by a lead entrepreneur, who has first-hand experience of starting and successfully growing a business in rural Ireland.
ACORNS
A survey of the 57 entrepreneurs who completed the 9th cycle of the six-month programme revealed that participants increased their total turnover by €1.2 million or 43% to €4 million.
Participants also reported doubling their total workforce to 133, with 59 full-time and 74 part-time staff employed at the end of the cycle – an increase of 67. There were also four new exporters over the cycle.
Some 96% said that their participation brought about practical change within their business, with the same number saying the programme helped them feel nearer to achieving their entrepreneurial ambitions.
Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine Charlie McConalogue today launched the opening of the call for applications for ACORNS 10.
The deadline for applications is midnight on Tuesday, September 20, 2024.
“The programme aims to address the skills, enterprise and capability gaps that female entrepreneurs can face and takes into account the barriers which often limit entrepreneurial activity in rural areas,” he said.
Entrepreneurs
There are up to 50 places available for ACORNS 10 which will run from October 2024 to April 2025.
As ACORNS receives many more applications than there are places available, DAFM said that selection is on a competitive basis.
In order to be eligible to participate in ACORNS, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Have set up a new business which has generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2021 or be actively planning a new venture and have made good progress towards getting the new venture off the ground. Indicators of actively planning a business would include organising the start-up team, sourcing equipment / facilities, money saved for the start-up, writing the business plan, etc.;
- They must own or part-own the business and be living in a rural area, that is in an area outside the administrative city boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford;
- If selected, applicants must be available to attend the launch forum and first round table session on October 21 and 22, 2024;
- They must expect to become an employer within three years.
This year’s voluntary lead entrepreneurs are Alison Ritchie, Polar Ice; Caroline Reidy, The HR Suite; Eimer Hannon, Hannon Travel; Larissa Feeney, Kinore; Mary B Walsh, Ire Wel Pallets; and Triona MacGiolla Rí, Aró Digital Strategies.
Businesswomen, Clare Duignan and Geraldine Kelly, who are on the Going for Growth advisory panel, will also facilitate ACORNS Plus round tables for previous participants, who are committed to continuing driving forward the development of their businesses.
A series of regional gatherings for ACORNS community members will be held in the autumn to celebrate 10 years of the initiative.