2024
Two women-led start-ups at UCC secure over €1 million in Enterprise Ireland funding
Two women led start-ups at University College Cork (UCC) have received funding to translate their research into innovative companies that will benefit human health globally. The start-ups will drive advances in women’s health, and skin health.
Dr Siobhain O’ Mahony, Founder of FemmeMeno and Dr Julie O’ Sullivan, Founder of SkinCoat, have received funding totalling €1,046,747 from Enterprise Ireland’s Commercialisation Fund Programme. FemmeMeno, is designed to empower women by providing targeted support during peri/menopause; helping to balance hormones, enhance vitality and improve overall health and well-being. Menopause affects every person born female and by the year 2025, the number of post-menopausal women worldwide is estimated to reach 1.1 billion. SkinCoat is an innovative topical probiotic cream aimed at alleviating eczema symptoms. Eczema is a prevalent condition, affecting 1 in 5 children and 1 in 10 adults in Ireland.
Ireland is 3rd in Europe for investment in women-led start-ups. In 2023, 31% of the start-ups supported by Enterprise Ireland had a woman in the founding team.
“Entrepreneurship is essential to Ireland’s economic growth, yet women entrepreneurs often encounter challenges in the space, including unconscious bias, limited access to funding, and a lack of female mentors and role models. Encouragingly, this is changing, with the number of women entrepreneurs in Ireland now surpassing the EU average” states Dr Sally Cudmore, Director of UCC Innovation.
“At UCC, we are committed to advancing women’s entrepreneurship, recognising its potential to drive economic growth and benefit society as a whole. We’re excited to celebrate the success of Dr Siobhain O’ Mahony and Dr Julie O’ Sullivan, whose innovative technologies will make a significant difference in human health and wellbeing and serve as inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs.”
The investment from Enterprise Ireland will support technology development and accelerate the launch of the two companies from APC Microbiome Ireland, in UCC. APC is funded by Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland, formerly Science Foundation Ireland.