Women founders trailblazing with tech across Ireland are set to be recognised at the forthcoming TechFoundHer Summit later this month.
Alongside a host of prestigious speakers championing the skills, talent and innovation of female entrepreneurs across the island, three women will win the chance to take to the stage to showcase their businesses.
The Breakthrough Awards are open to women who have completed the InterTradeIreland-led WeBuild Programme delivered by TechFoundHer, which launched earlier this year.
WeBuild, a programme funded as part of the Government of Ireland’s Shared Island Enterprise Scheme, is designed to help women founders access the knowledge, networks and support needed to progress their tech ventures. The programme, led by InterTradeIreland in partnership with Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland, launched in January, with 28 founders participating, and a further 26 founders on the programme’s current cohort.
TechFoundHer has developed a growing global ecosystem of founders, investors, champions and advisors focused on backing women founders to build and lead technology-driven ventures. This year’s awards are being championed and funded by leading international investors and advocates for women founders, including Lata Setty, serial tech entrepreneur and VC; Catherine Gray, producer of Show Her The Money; and Debra Smiley, angel investor.
InterTradeIreland is lead Sponsor of the TechFoundHer Summit 2026 with Bentley Systems confirmed as Showcase Sponsor, supporting founder showcase moments across the Summit.
Liana O’Cleirigh with Bentley Systems and a speaker during this year’s event, said: “At Bentley Systems, we know that driving real technological advancement requires a foundation of diverse perspectives and bold leadership.
“As the Showcase Sponsor for the TechFoundHer Summit, we are committed to providing women founders with a platform to be seen, heard, and supported. By amplifying their visionary solutions, we are proud to champion the leaders shaping the next generation of technology, ensuring the future is built by all, for all, to better serve our global communities.”
TechFoundHer, a platform supporting women tech founders across Ireland and Northern Ireland, was founded by Co Down businesswoman Máirín Murray.
For Máirín, initiatives like the Breakthrough Awards and WeBuild are vital cogs in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem to support the success of women founders.
She explained: “TechFoundHer is about visibility, opportunity and action. This year, the summit is a rallying cry for women founders to organise, build collective power and turn this moment of crisis and change into an opportunity for new solutions, stronger ventures and greater impact.
“This year’s Breakthrough Awards will celebrate stand out participants from the WeBuild programme who have leveraged their participation to take bold steps forward in their business.
“We’re proud this year’s awards are being championed by women investors from our global network, alongside the support of InterTradeIreland and Bentley Systems. It reflects exactly what women founders need more of – people willing to back them, open doors, and help create visibility for the ventures they are building.”
The awards will recognise progress, momentum and meaningful innovation from launching an MVP, winning funding and growing a user base to shifting mindset and direction in powerful ways.
Winners will receive $1,000 and a bundle of support, which includes coaching from leading entrepreneurs in the field, as a token of recognition. They will be announced live at the TechFoundHer Summit on May 29 at the Mansion House in Dublin.
“At the early stages, recognition can be incredibly powerful for women tech founders” said Máirín, adding: “Awards like this help build credibility, amplify what founders are working on, and open up new conversations at exactly the moment when that visibility can make a real difference.
“What we hear again and again from women founders is that one of the biggest barriers is time. The time crunch is real – especially for women balancing businesses, caring responsibilities, jobs, and all the invisible work that still too often sits on their shoulders.
“That’s why access to funding and investor networks matters so much. Funding can unlock time. It can give a founder the space to build, test, validate and accelerate. And when that support is connected to a global network of angels, VCs and champions, it can open doors far beyond the award itself.
“These awards are about saying to women founders: we see what you are building, we believe in your potential, and we want to help you keep going.”
Backed by Dublin City Council, the summit will feature lightning talks from women tech founders and innovators, keynotes from international speakers, sessions on AI and product development, and a programme of facilitated table discussions.
“That’s where the opportunity lies. Women tech founders bring insight, ambition and lived experience to the challenges of this moment. They’re building ventures that can respond to real needs, open new markets, create economic value and shape a better society.”
Headline sponsor for this year’s TechFoundHer Summit is Dublin City Council with InterTradeIreland onboard as lead sponsor along with Bentley Systems supporting the showcase element of the event. Enterprise Ireland and Aquino Global Ventures are championing diversity while EY have joined the lineup as the ecosystem partner and Cloudsmith and Entrepreneurs Unleashed are supporting as community sponsors.
Elaine Patterson, Assistant Director of Entrepreneurship at InterTradeIreland said: “InterTradeIreland is delighted to sponsor this year’s TechFoundHer Summit, an all-island event that helps strengthen women founders’ confidence in tech and innovation, accelerate all island growth, and support cross-border and export potential.
“By supporting the Summit, we continue to provide women founders with opportunities to establish those critical in-person connections and build more inclusive, digital ecosystems for their businesses to grow and thrive across the island.”
Applications for the Breakthrough Awards will close at 9am on Monday 25 May 2026.
The summit, which brings together women-led startups, funders, tech leaders and ecosystem allies from across Ireland and beyond on May 29 runs from 9.30am to 3.30pm, is open to women founders at all stages of building tech solutions, aspiring entrepreneurs, tech advocates, investors and ecosystem leaders with ticket bundles and group deals available.
