AwakenHub Female Founders Return to Irish Consulate New York First Friday Breakfast after a special evening with the Irish Centre to celebrate St. Brigid’s Day and showcase Irish female founded startups.

This time last year, Team AwakenHub took center stage at the Irish Consulate New York First Friday, sharing the exciting news about the upcoming launch of AwakenAngels, the first and only island of Ireland women-led angel investor syndicate. Fast forward to 2024. We are thrilled to return this year with a 25-strong delegation, including 16 inspiring women founders, the AwakenHub/AwakenAngels team, and partners Taylor Wessing Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta.

Thank you to New York Irish Consul General Helena Nolan for the special mention and including us in the events and declaring that AwakenHub & AwakenAngels are, according to Helena, defacto part of New York’s Annual St. Brigid’s Day Celebrations.

Addressing the Investment Gender Gap

Despite progress, the levels of investment in women-founded businesses remain a critical issue, matched by equally poor numbers of active female angel investors on the island of Ireland. Today, we channel not just the spirit of St. Brigid but embrace #BadBridget as we work towards changing the narrative.

Our morning at the Irish Consulate in New York left us inspired and ready to tackle the challenges ahead. We are definitely going to be more #BadBridget.

Celebrating Irish Women's Resilience

Irish women throughout history have faced oppression, trauma, and bias, yet their ingenuity, skill, tenacity, and pure grit have always prevailed. Last night, we were privileged to spend an inspiring evening at the New York Irish Centre thanks to George Heslin, engaging with women from diverse backgrounds in business, culture, and the arts.

Today, at the St. Brigid’s Day Breakfast, a panel led by the authors of "Bad Bridget," Dr. Leanne McCormick of Ulster University and Dr. Elaine Farrell of Queen’s University Belfast, shared incredible stories ranging from tragedy to triumph. This experience has reinforced our commitment to creating true equity for women in the business landscape.

Showcasing AwakenHub Women Founders

Our delegation seized the opportunity to meet highly connected individuals within the Irish diaspora and business community. We showcased the incredible talent of AwakenHub women founders spanning medtech, edtech, sportstech, SaaS, luxury leather/fashion, ESG, food, and health/wellness.

The First Friday is just one part of a week-long St. Brigid’s women founders Trade Mission organized by AwakenHub & AwakenAngels.

Looking Ahead: Angel Investment 101 Workshop

Tomorrow, on Saturday 3 February, we are gearing up for a full day of the Angel Investment 101 Workshop, which has already garnered a waitlist.

For more information, visit www.awakenhub.com and www.awakenangelshq.com .

A heartfelt thank you to all our AwakenHub & AwakenAngels partners for your ongoing support, making our founder and investor communities a thriving reality.

Let’s continue breaking barriers and empowering women in the entrepreneurial landscape! 🌟 #AwakenHub #AwakenAngels #WomenInBusiness #StBrigidsDay #FemaleFounders*

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With thanks as always to our partners for their support.