Funding opportunity for female founders
Techstart Ventures and Women in Business are offering grants to female entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland with innovative business ideas. The funding helps kick-start new ventures or explore fresh products and markets.
Successful applicants can get
- up to £35,000 from the Proof of Concept Grant Fund
- a dedicated business mentor from Women in Business
Funding can be used to support eligible activities such as concept/prototype development, market research, validation and testing, intellectual property checks and employment costs (with conditions).
Who can apply for the Female Founders funding
The competition is open to sole traders, partnerships or Northern Ireland-registered limited companies (with the applicant as majority shareholder). Your idea must be innovative, and you cannot have received a previous Techstart grant of this type.
Potential applicants can join an online information session on Thursday 8 January 2026 to find out more.
To apply, you must complete an online application form before the competition closing date.
The competition will close at 5pm on Tuesday 27 January 2026.
All eligible applicants will be invited to a Pitch Session with Techstart and Women in Business in February 2026. Decisions on applications will be made in March.
Find out more about the Female Founders grant competition.
First published 10 December 2025
