Introduction.
Twenty-one women founders from across the island of Ireland have joined WeScale Cohort 3, and we could not be prouder to welcome them. The cohort kicked off on 13th October 2026, and the energy in the room has already set the tone for the months ahead.
WeScale is a funded programme delivered by AwakenHub that gives women-led businesses advanced support, mentorship and investor readiness training, so they can expand internationally and accelerate growth. This cohort is truly all-island: 14 founders are based in Ireland and 7 in Northern Ireland, spanning 10 counties from Donegal to Cork and Fermanagh to Louth. Between them they are building in health tech, AI, data, software, beauty, fashion, food safety, law, education, leadership, engineering, consumer robotics and more.
Read on to meet the founders, and do reach out to them. Every one of them is open to new customers, partners and conversations.
Meet the WeScale Founders.
Audrey Vance, Activity Time, Wicklow, Ireland.
Activity Time is all-in-one booking and admin software for the people who run kids' camps, classes and workshops. Parents book and pay in a couple of clicks, while confirmations, waivers, sign-in sheets and waiting lists run automatically, saving providers hours of admin on every activity. The platform was runner-up for New Website of the Year 2026 at the National Digital Awards.
Sarah Hayes, Derah Software Solutions (fastWAVE) , Tipperary, Ireland.
fastWAVE is a competition management platform that brings entries, eligibility checks, payments and reporting for sports competitions into one place. It is already running live events and has handled more than 25,000 entries across 6,000 athletes. Sarah won the Best Innovation Award at the 2026 TUS Startup Awards.
Tracey Ryan, Doctrine Skincare, Cork, Ireland.
Doctrine is a science-led Irish skincare brand that pairs high-performance active ingredients with indulgent, sensorial textures. Co-founder Tracey formulates every product in-house as the brand's cosmetic chemist, and its Radiant C Serum was lab-validated with the Centre for Applied Bioscience Research at MTU. Tracey's first brand, Bia Beauty, was acquired by a US company.
Clare McCarthy, Flowering with Clare, Carlow, Ireland.
Flowering Fertility offers compassionate, evidence-informed support for people on the path to parenthood. Its services include an eight-week live online programme, one-to-one support, the Paths to Parenthood children's book series and resources for fertility clinics. The business grew from Clare's own journey through infertility and donor-egg IVF.
Rachel McMullin, Freqnc, Antrim, Northern Ireland.
FreQNC is building Human Oversight Capacity Intelligence for AI-first organisations. As AI-generated work and autonomous activity scale, the demand for human review and accountability can outpace the qualified judgement available to oversee it. FreQNC helps organisations identify where oversight capacity is under pressure before the quality of human decision-making is compromised.
Karen Kelly, HeartPath, Kildare, Ireland .
HeartPath focuses on the early detection and prevention of heart, kidney and metabolic health conditions through structured screening and prevention programmes in community and workplace settings. Using its dedicated platform, clinical guidance and practical support, HeartPath helps individuals and organisations identify potential health risks early, understand their health and take action before conditions develop.
Silvana Landa, LANDA bags, Dublin, Ireland.
LANDA is a Dublin brand of handcrafted leather handbags for modern women, offering affordable luxury with a minimal, timeless look. Bags are made with small artisan workshops that share the brand's sustainable values. LANDA has collaborated with Magee 1866 and created a collection for Brown Thomas, and ships worldwide.
Gillian Noble, LastSay, Antrim, Northern Ireland.
LastSay Ltd is a Northern Ireland-based company founded in 2024 to help families organise and access important information, such as pensions, policies, passwords and personal wishes, following a death or loss of capacity. It helps people leave their loved ones clarity and peace of mind at a difficult time. Through research involving 96 responses and interviews with professionals and families, it identified the importance of trusted professionals in encouraging people to plan ahead.
Louise Corrigan, Louise Corrigan Law, Dublin, Ireland.
Louise is dual-qualified in US and Irish immigration law, with more than a decade in practice and over 500 clients. Louise Corrigan Law helps businesses move talent across borders, from work visas to compliance, and guides individuals and families through US and Irish visa and citizenship applications.
Jaclyn Harron, LumenEdge Technologies, Derry, Northern Ireland.
LumenEdge is a data consultancy helping organisations make smarter, evidence-based decisions. It supports charities, community groups, universities and businesses with strategy, statistical analysis, fundraising, project evaluation and bid-writing, and has developed GrantEdge.ai.
Melissa Hayward, Melissa Hayward Academy, Tipperary, Ireland.
Melissa Hayward Academy is an accredited hair extension training provider for stylists and salon owners across Ireland, the UK and beyond. Melissa brings more than 25 years in the industry, starting in New York salons, and won Network Ireland's Solo Businesswoman of the Year and Training Academy of the Year at the Irish Hair and Beauty Awards. She is vice president of the Hairdressing Council of Ireland.
Lorraine Browne, Practice Growth AI, Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.
Practice Growth AI helps dental and aesthetic clinics turn patient photos, facial scans and consultation forms into clear, personalised treatment reports. Patients understand their options better, so clinics see higher treatment uptake and skincare sales. The system was built and tested inside a working clinic.
Nicole Ross, Ross Companies, Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Ross Companies, home to Ross Engineering and Manarc, provides maintenance, design, fabrication, CNC cutting and precision engineering, along with bespoke conveyors and wearing parts. It serves food and drink, animal feed, quarrying and waste and recycling customers across Northern Ireland, Ireland and Great Britain.
Sunnibha Corcoran, SMC Food Safety Management Consultants, Louth, Ireland.
SMC Food Safety, established in 2006, provides specialist food safety support to businesses across Ireland. Its services include HACCP consultancy, auditing, allergen management, food safety systems, mentoring and tailored training across a range of industries. Combining over 20 years of technical expertise with personalised support, the business has expanded into online training and is continuing to develop scalable digital learning opportunities to support future growth.
Orla McKeating, Still I Rise, Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Still I Rise uses inclusive storytelling to build belonging, through workshops, training, keynotes, consultancy, a podcast, an inclusive bookshop and The Inclusion Lab. Founded from Orla's lived experience, it has reached more than 10,000 children and young people, with clients including the Education Authority, BBC and Save the Children.
Maria Langan, DASH Leaders, Dublin, Ireland.
DASH Leaders provides a personalised and scalable leadership development platform designed to help organisations improve leadership performance. Combining its proprietary DASH Framework, personalised scoring, coaching and expert insights, the business has developed early commercial customers, strategic partnerships and a growing content library. With support from Enterprise Ireland and other business development programmes, DASH is now focused on scaling internationally and introducing AI-enabled coaching.
Clara Mulligan, HomeBot Ireland, Cork, Ireland.
HomeBot Ireland sells robot vacuums, mops, lawnmowers and window cleaners, backed by local support and a two-year warranty. Its products have been reviewed in The Irish Times, and the business has won at the West Cork Business and Tourism Awards.
Maria Behan Doyle, Retain Grow, Kildare, Ireland
Retain Grow is a customer intelligence business helping companies retain and grow their customer base. Its platform is being extended so subscribers can directly access data on their competitors' customers.
Suzy Griffin Dunne, Hildun Beauty, Dublin, Ireland.
The Dublin-based Irish beauty brand was established in 2022, launching with just two eyeliners and achieving over 100% year-on-year growth. With most sales coming organically from the UK, Hildun Beauty has secured permanent stockist status in Arnotts after winning Pitch '25. Following strong sales, it is expanding into Brown Thomas, alongside retail partnerships at Dublin Airport and onboard Aer Lingus.
Julie Dowling, Fudge & Gandol, Donegal, Ireland.
Fudge & Gandol invites children into Myrndale, an enchanted Irish storytelling world. Award-winning story cards, a book series and a new app let every child become the author of their own adventures. Its national StoryCup competition reached more than 1,500 primary school pupils in 2025/26.
Colette McNicholl, McNicholl Caravans, Derry, Northern Ireland.
McNicholl Caravans is a family-run business, established in 1980, that supplies, transports and sites new and pre-owned static caravans and mobile homes. From its base in Mid Ulster it operates holiday parks across Northern Ireland, Donegal, Mayo and Scotland.
What's next for Cohort 3
Over the coming six months these 21 founders will work through advanced business support, one-to-one mentoring and investor readiness training, all focused on scaling internationally. We can't wait to watch them grow, and to celebrate with them at graduation.
If you'd like to support, buy from, partner with or invest in any of these businesses, get in touch with the founders directly. Women founders can join the movement at awakenhub.com, and investors can explore angel investing with AwakenAngels at awakenangelshq.com.
Talk is cheap, we write cheques.
The WeScale all-island programme, led by InterTradeIreland in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, is part of the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme, funded by the Government of Ireland. The delivery partner for WeScale is AwakenHub.
A huge thank you to InterTradeIreland, Enterprise Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland, the Shared Island Initiative, for making WeScale possible.
