SheGen5: Two Months In
Two months into SheGen5, our newest cohort of women founders is already well underway. SheGen has become a core part of the AwakenHub ecosystem. Designed as an accelerator-lite programme for early-stage women founders across the island of Ireland, it provides structured learning, access to experienced founders and advisors, and a supportive peer community.
Now in its fifth iteration, SheGen5 builds on what we’ve learned from previous cohorts. Feedback from founders has helped shape a programme that places even greater emphasis on practical learning, peer accountability and open discussion.
The aim is straightforward: give founders the space, support and expertise they need to make meaningful progress in their businesses.
Starting With the Founder Journey
Founders join SheGen at different points in their journey. Some are launching a pilot, others are beginning to generate sales, and some are starting to prepare for investment. Rather than forcing everyone into the same mould, the programme recognises these differences and works with founders around three stages: Pilot launch, Early sales, Fundraising readiness. This allows sessions and discussions to remain grounded in the reality of where each founder is.
The programme itself follows a clear path: onboarding, learning and peer engagement, structured accountability, and ultimately a showcase moment later in the year.
But the real strength of SheGen has always been the community dynamic that forms within the cohort.
The Programme in Practice
SheGen5 runs from January through to June 2026, combining core workshops with optional clinics, deep-dive sessions and community events. Engaging and interactive workshops form the backbone of the programme and are compulsory for participants. Clinics and Big Sister sessions sit alongside them, giving founders the chance to go deeper into particular topics or get direct feedback on their work. This combination keeps the programme structured but flexible, allowing founders to engage in ways that suit their business needs.
A Strong Start in Dublin
The programme began with an in-person kick-off in Dublin on January 20 2026, bringing the cohort together for the first time. Sinead Crowley led introductions and programme orientation, followed by an exploration of AI tools for startups with Mara Bolis (all the way from Boston), reflecting the increasing role AI can play in productivity and decision-making for early stage companies. Clare McGee and Denise McQuaid, led the afternoon session, Business Fundamentals and Value Proposition, focused on the building blocks of a business — clarifying the problem being solved, understanding the customer and shaping a value proposition that resonates by validating early commercial assumptions.
Brand, Marketing and Founder Presence - The second core module, delivered by Maria McKeever, focused on how early stage founders communicate their business often evolves alongside the product itself looking at positioning and brand identity, storytelling and developing a clear marketing strategy.
Follow-on clinics to core modules allowed founders to bring their own evolved ideas and materials for discussion and feedback.
Magic of The Big Sister Sessions
A distinctive part of SheGen are our Big Sister sessions. These are smaller, more conversational sessions led by experienced founders and practitioners. They are designed to create space for questions, discussion and practical insight. Over the past two months topics have included: the psychology of startup success with Monica Parker, refining your value proposition with Denise McQuaid, understanding your customer with Breda Doherty and achieving marketing impact on a limited budget with Caroline Kilbane. Because these sessions are smaller and informal, founders often bring real-time challenges from their businesses and work through them together.
Building Accountability
One of the strongest messages from previous SheGen cohorts was the significance of ongoing support between workshops. SheGen5 includes several additional touchpoints, a private community space to collaborate and build peer accountability and access to the wider AwakenCllub founder community.
The Months Ahead
As the programme moves forward, the remaining modules will focus on: finance fundamentals, sales and negotiation tatics, storytelling and pitching resulting in each founder owning their own Lean Business Deck and an opportunity to pitch at the SheGen5 Showcase in June.
Keep an eye out as we start to profile some of the fabulous SheGen5 Cohort over the coming weeks. In the meantime check them out below, connect with them, amplify them and be the support you would want in their shoes. Ranging from ……
The range of sectors, ideas and ambitions within the cohort is a reminder of the depth of talent emerging across the island. SheGen exists to help that talent move forward with the support of a community that understands the journey and our partners who make it possible.
