Ten women entrepreneurs share £350k fund to boost business growth

Tuesday 5 May 2026

Ten women entrepreneurs from across Northern Ireland are each receiving £35,000 from the Female Founders Proof of Concept Grant Fund, supporting early‑stage innovation and business growth.

The funding will help each business test and develop an innovative early‑stage concept, enabling founders to explore commercial potential and plan for future growth.

One of the funding recipients is AllPetz, a fintech platform that helps pet owners pay for veterinary care while clearly understanding treatment costs and insurance cover upfront. Founded by veterinary surgeon Dr Carolyn Perkins, the platform aims to make veterinary pricing clearer and more accessible for both pet owners and veterinary practices.

“Working with Techstart Ventures and Women in Business NI will be instrumental in fuelling the future success of the business,” said Dr Perkins.

“The mentoring, connections and resources will help me build on previous support from Invest NI’s Founder Labs programme, which gave me the tools to launch AllPetz and the confidence to scale my ambition.”

The ten funded businesses span a range of sectors, from financial services to healthcare:

AllPetz, Belfast
Atlas Health, Holywood
Mude Clothing, Belfast
Wonderleap, Derry~Londonderry
Reflectrr, Belfast
Equivantage Animal Health, Newtownards
Cast Planning, Belfast
The Influencer Hub Marketplace, Derry~Londonderry
KYC Ireland, Craigavon
Signal Proptech, Holywood

Dr Perkins added:

“This recognition really validates the work I’ve put into the business. It gives me confidence to keep building AllPetz and move the idea forward as a viable commercial venture.”

The funding is provided by Techstart Ventures, part of Invest Northern Ireland’s Access to Finance programme, with additional mentoring support delivered by Women in Business NI.

Kathryn Hill, Chief Operating Officer at Invest NI, said:

“Invest NI’s Access to Finance programme plays a key role in helping local entrepreneurs turn strong ideas into sustainable businesses, supporting a more regionally balanced start‑up ecosystem.”

She added:

“This partnership between Techstart Ventures and Women in Business NI is helping to remove barriers and support women‑led companies at a crucial stage in their start‑up journey. The quality and range of ideas coming forward from the founders shows the strength and appetite of women’s entrepreneurship locally. We remain committed to helping women start, scale and grow successful businesses across Northern Ireland – congratulations to all ten founders.”

Tuesday 5 May 2026