Kilkenny female entrepreneurs are urging others from the county to join the latest cycle of ACORNS – a highly-successful development initiative to support early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland. ACORNS stands for Accelerating the Creation Of Rural Nascent Start-ups. It is funded through the Rural Innovation and Development Fund by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

The call for applications for the latest cycle of the programme, ACORNS 8, was  launched earlier this month by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D. Programme organisers are looking for female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland, who wish to start and develop new businesses or who have recently started a new venture. 

A total of 50 new entrepreneurs will be selected and the free initiative will run over six months from October 2022 to April 2023 with the deadline for applications midnight on September 23, 2022. This is the eighth year of the ACORNS programme and over 350 female entrepreneurs have taken part to date and a significant proportion of these are still actively involved.

Past participants from Kilkenny include Kay Lyng of K Kajoux Jewels, Carla Tayor of 1721 Spirits and Roisin Cahill from RoCa Healthcare. 

K Kajoux Jewels offers original jewellery made from semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls. The pieces are produced from Kay Lyng’s studio in the hills of Clonmatagh in Kilkenny. Kay participated on ACORNS 4. 

Kay says: “The ACORNS network is a key necessity for any female entrepreneur that wants to achieve growth in a strategic way. The network gives access to a wealth of expertise in a multitude of disciplines.” 

Carla Taylor was a member of the ACORNS Pilot programme. Her company, 1721 Spirits, is a boutique drinks company bringing Irish beverage products to global markets.

Carla says: “I  continue to stay in touch with my family of ACORNS participants, who have formed a strong bond and regularly meet and support each other.”

Roisin Cahill was a participant on ACORNS 5. She set up RoCa Healthcare in 2018, beginning as an online store. It now provides products, support and advice for promoting good gut health and immune systems. 

Roisin says: “Meeting other female entrepreneurs through ACORNS, at different stages of their businesses, gave me support and direction with my own company.”

Based on a belief that entrepreneurs learn best from each other, ACORNS is centred on interactive round table sessions facilitated by successful female entrepreneurs who have started and grown businesses in rural Ireland. These are known as ACORNS Lead Entrepreneurs, and they give their time free of charge to encourage and support the new business owners. There is no charge for those participating in ACORNS, thanks to the continuing support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the voluntary contribution of time by the Lead Entrepreneurs.

This year’s voluntary Lead Entrepreneurs are Anne Reilly, Paycheck Plus; Caroline Reidy, The HR Suite; Deirdre McGlone, Hospitality & Tourism Advisor; Eimer Hannon, Hannon Travel; Larissa Feeney, Accountant Online; Mary B Walsh, Ire Wel Pallets; Triona MacGiolla Rí, Aró Digital Strategies. 

Charlie McConalogue T.D., Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, says: 

“Now in its eighth year, and going from strength to strength, ACORNS continues to support early stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland. This is an incredible opportunity and a wonderful support for rural-based female entrepreneurs, particularly in the current environment and I encourage those who have recently started or are about to start a new business to apply to participate in this very exciting initiative.”

Any woman with a new business based in rural Ireland — or a well-developed idea for a new venture they want to get off the ground — can get more information and register to receive an application form at www.acorns.ie. There is no charge for participation. 

Eligibility Criteria for participation on ACORNS

To be considered for ACORNS, applicants must:

Have set up a new business which has generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2019 or actively be planning a new venture and have made good progress towards getting the new venture off the ground. Indicators of actively planning a business would include organising the start-up team, sourcing equipment / facilities, money saved for the start-up, writing the business plan, etc.
They must own or part-own the business which must be located in a rural area, i.e. an area outside the administrative city boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
If selected, applicants must be available to attend the launch Forum and first round table session on October 24th and 25th, 2022. 
They must expect to become an employer within three years.