AwakenAngels

Talk is cheap. We write cheques. When AwakenHub launched in 2020, we set out to support women founders across the island of Ireland. But we kept hearing the same thing: the ideas were there, the ambition was there, and the capital wasn't. So in 2023, we stopped talking about the funding gap and started closing it. AwakenAngels was born as Ireland's first women-led angel syndicate. Our vision is simple: an Ireland where investment in women-founded businesses is the norm, not the exception. We're levelling the playing field for women founders and for new and seasoned angel investors by opening up access to Capital, Knowledge Incredible networks and Opportunity Through education, experience and the power of our community, we're helping women grow their businesses, seek investment, gain the confidence to invest in others and take their place at the table, regardless of gender or geography, across the island and throughout the Irish diaspora. We're only getting started, and we'd love you to come along for the ride. 👉 Follow AwakenAngels as we grow our investor community and back the next generation of women-led ventures. AwakenAngels is proudly supported in part by the British Business Bank and InterTradeIreland as part of a programme to support and accelerate the development of women-led angel syndicates across the island of Ireland. Denise McQuaid | Clare McGee | Mary McKenna, MBE | Maria McKeever | Lucy McCormick | Niamh Sweeney | Mary Ann Pierce #BreakingBarriers #AngelInvesting #WomenInvestors #AwakenAngels #EarlyStageInvesting #InvestInWomen

We're thrilled to announce AwakenAngels as a partner of the Futura Innovation Conference 2026! AwakenAngels is the first and only all-island women-led angel investment syndicate in Ireland. It was founded in 2023 by Mary McKenna, Clare McGee, & Denise McQuaid, and works alongside its sister organisation AwakenHub, an all-island community supporting women founders across the island. What makes their approach different is where they focused. Rather than only campaigning for more capital to reach women-led companies, they set out to increase the number of women writing the cheques. Angel investing has traditionally been gated by the size of the ticket required, so AwakenAngels set entry to the syndicate at €2,000 and built nine modules of CPD-accredited training around it, so that people can learn as they go rather than needing to arrive as experts. By its second anniversary in November 2025, the syndicate had helped eight women-cofounded companies secure more than €4.5 million in investment. Membership has since doubled to 134, with 90% women and 12% based outside Ireland, and more than 100 aspiring and first-time angel investors have completed the training. There is now a waiting list for places. They work internationally as well. A global partnership with Women in Innovation was announced in New York earlier this year, and their St Brigid's Day trade missions connect Irish women founders with diaspora networks, investors and partners in the United States. Founders from any sector based on the island of Ireland can pitch to the syndicate, provided at least one woman founder holds a minimum 20% equity stake. Sponsored memberships for first-time investors are supported by InterTradeIreland and the British Business Bank. You can find out more at awakenangelshq.com We're proud to have them with us as 1,000+ participants from 15+ countries come to Limerick. 19–21 October 2026 Limerick, Ireland Tickets: futuraevent.com #awakenangels #partnerhighlight #futuraevent2026 #limerick

Raising capital as a woman founder in Ireland: The Real Numbers 📊 The good news first 👇 In 2025, a record 82 women-founded startups in Ireland raised investment, almost double the year before. But look closer: 📉 Average raise dropped from €3.9m to €2.3m 🕳️ The seed and Series A "middle" is being hollowed out 📊 Female founders still receive only around 15% of Irish startup funding And in Northern Ireland, the picture is starker: All-female teams received just 2% of equity investment in 2024 (£2.5m of £119m) All-male teams received 79% Yet women make up 13.3% of NI's high-growth founders, nearly double the UK average The pipeline is there. The capital isn't keeping up. AwakenAngels is part of the answer? More women writing the cheques. Only around 14% of angel investors are women, and female investors are twice as likely to back women founders. Our portfolio is growing and we are proud to be making a real impact. That's why AwakenAngels exists: to grow a community of women investors backing ambitious founders across the island of Ireland. 👉 Whether you're raising or thinking about investing, get in touch. https://lnkd.in/edNnixMA AwakenAngels is proudly supported in part by the British Business Bank and InterTradeIreland as part of a programme to support and accelerate the development of women-led angel syndicates across the island of Ireland. Denise McQuaid | Mary McKenna, MBE | Clare McGee | Maria McKeever | Lucy McCormick | Mary Ann Pierce | Niamh Sweeney #AngelInvesting #WomenInvestors #AwakenAngels #EarlyStageInvesting #WomenFounders #InvestInWomen

What exactly is an angel investor? An angel investor is someone who invests their own money in early-stage companies, and often brings valuable expertise, networks and experience alongside that capital. Tonight, we're delighted to welcome our newest cohort of investors as they begin their journey through our AwakenAngels Training, a 9-module CPD programme designed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to succeed in (or simply better understand) the world of angel investing. Whether you're considering making your first investment or want to demystify how early-stage funding works, this programme covers it all. A warm welcome to everyone joining us this evening. We can't wait to see where this journey takes you! 👉 Interested in joining our next cohort in 2027? Send us a quick message or express your interest here: https://lnkd.in/e4WWqbDd AwakenAngels is proudly supported in part by the British Business Bank and InterTradeIreland as part of a programme to support and accelerate the development of women-led angel syndicates across the island of Ireland. Denise McQuaid | Mary McKenna, MBE | Clare McGee | Maria McKeever | Lucy McCormick | Mary Ann Pierce | Niamh Sweeney #AngelInvesting #WomenInvestors #AwakenAngels #EarlyStageInvesting #CPD

Goals Beyond the Pitch 🇺🇸 What an afternoon at Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, welcoming the Northeast Ohio Mayors and City Managers Delegation to Derry~Londonderry! It felt fitting to host this conversation on home turf; a stadium built on community and ambition, now the backdrop for building bridges across the Atlantic. Huge thanks to US Consul General to NI Christopher Rendo for the warm welcome, and to everyone who joined us for real talk on doing business between the island of Ireland and North America. The Route to North America panel dug into the big question every SME asks: is the US the right market for us? Grateful to Moira Loughran (Invest Northern Ireland), Tim Dillon (OS Doors), Jim Nash (Wild Atlantic Distillery) and William McColgan (McColgan Foods) for their honesty on what it really takes steered brilliantly by our own Clare McGee, co-founder & CEO of AwakenHub & AwakenAngels. Making the Move: Resources, Relationships & Support got into the messy middle. That stage when you've spotted the opportunity but aren't quite ready to leap. Thank you to Edward Johnston (Clark Hill), Cormac Diamond (Bloc Blinds), Victoria Finlay (Menopal) and Claire Nixon (Adepta Partners), with Mark Owens moderating and sharing Ohios commitment to partnership working. Beyond the panels, the real magic happened in the room, new connections, honest conversations, and the kind of relationship-building that turns "maybe someday" into "let's make this happen." Thank you to Derry City Football Club, Team NEO, JobsOhio, AwakenHub Derry City & Strabane District Council Invest Northern Ireland and Derry Chamber of Commerce for standing alongside us, and to every SME who showed up curious, engaged, and ready to explore what's next. The pitch is over. The goals beyond it? Still very much in play. ⚽ #GoalsBeyondThePitch #DerryLondonderry #AwakenHub #AwakenAngels #TransatlanticTrade #jobsohio #teamneo #USConsulateBelfast

A big day for Derry & the North West AwakenAngels and AwakenHub we were proud to welcome the Northeast Ohio Mayors & City Managers Association delegation to Derry, hosted by Cllr Grace Nelis Mayor, Derry City & Strabane District Council, as part of the Northeast Ohio Mayors & City Managers Trade Mission to Ireland. This visit is the latest milestone in a relationship that's been built from the ground up since early 2026, from an initial inward visit by Team NEO and the City of Mentor, to today's reciprocal delegation, to AwakenHub's first US trade mission to Cleveland later this month (26–30 September), bringing North West stakeholders including Ulster University, North West Regional College (NWRC), Derry City & Strabane District Council, Derry Chamber of Commerce and the NI SPACE Agency to Ohio. Clare McGee joined the delegation in Dublin and is delighted to welcome Mayor Sam Alonso (City of Reminderville, Chairman NEOM&CMA), and mayors and city leaders from across Northeast Ohio, Village of Boston Heights, City of Fairlawn, City of Green, Village of Lakeline, City of Macedonia, City of North Canton, Richmond Heights, City of Garfield Heights and City of Solon, alongside Lisa Barno (NEOM&CMA) and Louis Berroteran (MAPSS), on their first visit to Derry. A special mention to Mark Owens, MBA, VP of Marketing at Team NEO and Honorary Consul of Ireland to Ohio, who led the delegation and whose own roots trace back to Derry City. And special thanks also also to Dori Winter for joining the delegation providing a warm welcome to the North West. As AwakenHub and AwakenAngels, we're honoured to be the Irish lead partner in this growing relationship between Derry and Northeast Ohio, two regions that share real priorities: investment, visibility, community wealth building, and holding onto local talent and business. What started as connection is turning into genuine, lasting economic partnership. We are excited to see the momentum building toward something bigger and look forward to developing strong partnership working across the two regions. Dori Winter | U.S. Department of State | Invest Northern Ireland | Department for the Economy NI | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ireland | Alison Morris | Business Support Derry Strabane | Aeidin McCarter | Anna Doherty M IDM | Stephen Gillespie | John Kelpie | Stephen Kelly | Jim Roddy | City Centre Initiative Derry~Londonderry | The Ebrington Hotel | Denise McQuaid | Maria McKeever | Mary McKenna, MBE #Derry #NorthWestIreland #NortheastOhio #TradeMission #EconomicDevelopment #AwakenHub #AwakenAngels #TeamNEO