New round of ACORNS opens for rural female entrepreneurs
Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, Martin Heydon today (Monday, July 27) opened the call for applications for the ACORNS programme.
Now in its 12th year, ACORNS, which stands for Accelerating the Creation of Rural Nascent Start-ups, is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The programme, developed by Fitzsimons Consulting, is based on the belief that early-stage entrepreneurs learn best from their peers.
Participants interact with each other in monthly round-table sessions, facilitated by a lead entrepreneur with first-hand experience of starting and successfully growing a business in rural Ireland.
ACORNS
ACORNS 12 runs from October 2026 to April 2027 and will include six monthly round-table sessions, briefings by various development agencies and an end-of-cycle celebration.
Karen Kerrigan of Kerrigan’s Mushrooms, said that becoming an ACORNS lead entrepreneur has been "a truly rewarding experience".
"Running a business can sometimes feel lonely, but ACORNS creates a supportive environment where women encourage one another, share experiences and realise they don't have to face challenges on their own.
"It has been incredibly rewarding to see participants grow in confidence, believe in themselves, and see their businesses grow alongside that.
"The enthusiasm, honesty and generosity within the group have kept me motivated and reminded me that we're all continually learning, no matter what stage we're at in our business journey," she said.
The free programme is available to early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland who have generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2023.
Up to 50 places available and those wishing to apply must first register on the ACORNS website after which they will be sent an application by email.
The deadline for applications to be submitted is midnight on Friday, September 18, 2026.
Entrepreneurs
Minister Heydon said that to date over 600 women in rural Ireland have completed a cycle of the ACORNS programme.
"ACORNS has consistently provided the skills, and capability needs that female entrepreneurs require when embarking on their business journey.
"I am acutely aware of the difficulties that entrepreneurial women can come up against when attempting to start new businesses, especially in rural areas, and the ACORNS programme is a real, tangible, mechanism to mitigate and overcome these challenges," he said.
All 53 participants who completed ACORNS 11 said they would recommend the programme to others.
Nine businesses began trading for the first time during the last ACORNS cycle.
The combined annual turnover of ACORNS 11 participants grew from €4.1 million to almost €6 million.
The number of people employed by participants rose by 59 to a total of 134 by the end of the cycle.
There were also four new exporters among participants by the end of the six-month cycle.
