Applications have opened for ACORNS 12, the peer learning programme which supports rural female entrepreneurs, announced by the Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon on Monday.
ACORNS stands for accelerating the creation of rural nascent start-ups and is in its 12th year. It is funded through the rural innovation and development fund by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The programme was developed by Fitzsimons Consulting and is based on the belief that early-stage entrepreneurs learn best from their peers. Participants will interact with each other and will be facilitated by lead entrepreneurs.
“ACORNS has consistently provided the skills and capability needs that female entrepreneurs require when embarking on their business journey,” the minister said.
“I am acutely aware of the difficulties that entrepreneurial women can come up against when attempting to start new businesses, especially in rural areas, and the ACORNS programme is a real, tangible, mechanism to mitigate and overcome these challenges.”
Value of taking part
In a survey of the most recent cycle, all 53 participants who completed ACORNS 11 said they would recommend ACORNS to others, while 98% felt closer to achieving their business ambitions following the programme, and 94% said their participation had brought about practical change within their business.
Nine businesses began trading for the first time during the last ACORNS cycle. The combined annual turnover of ACORNS 11 participants grew from €4.1m to almost €6m, while the number of people employed by participants rose by 59 to a total of 134 by the end of the cycle. There were also four new exporters among participants by the end of the six-month cycle.
This year’s voluntary lead entrepreneurs are Alison Ritchie, Polar Ice; Geraldine Jones, Skin Formulas; Karen Kerrigan, Kerrigan’s Mushrooms; Larissa Feeney, Kinore; Mary B Walsh, Ire Wel Pallets; Orla Leahy, Irish Chauffer Travel; and Triona MacGiolla Rí, Aró Digital Strategies.
Additionally, Dr Anne Cusack and Geraldine Kelly, who are experienced lead entrepreneurs, will facilitate ACORNS plus round tables for previous participants, who are committed to continuing driving forward the development of their businesses.
The programme is available to early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland, who have generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2023. There are up to 50 places available.
Applications
ACORNS 12 will run from October 2026 to April 2027 and will include six monthly round-table sessions, a briefing by various development agencies and an end-of-cycle celebration. There will be no charge for those selected to participate in ACORNS 12, as a result of the support from the Department and the voluntary contribution of time by the lead entrepreneurs.
The deadline for applications is midnight on Friday, 18 September 2026.
Those wishing to apply must first register their interest via the website www.acorns.ie and they will then be sent an application by email.
