Tuesday 15th October 2024
Two female led start-ups at University College Cork (UCC) FemmeMeno and SkinCoat have secured over €1 million in Enterprise Ireland funding.
The funding will allow the companies to use their research to 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.
SkinCoat is a topical probiotic cream aimed at alleviating eczema symptoms. Eczema is a prevalent condition, affecting one in five children and one in ten adults in Ireland.
"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," said Dr Sally Cudmore, Director of UCC Innovation.
"Encouragingly, this is changing, with the number of women entrepreneurs in Ireland now surpassing the EU average," she added.
In 2023, 31% of the start-ups supported by Enterprise Ireland had a woman in the founding team.
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.
Source: RTE.ie