Celebrating Women in Innovation This International Women’s Day
WestBIC is an Enterprise Ireland partner providing hands-on startup support, funding readiness and investment preparation for early-stage founders in the west of Ireland.
This International Women’s Day, we’re proud to celebrate the remarkable women shaping the future of enterprise and innovation across the Border, Midlands and Western regions of Ireland.
At WestBIC, we’ve had the privilege of supporting many women founders on their entrepreneurial journeys — from early development through to scaling and investment readiness. Their ambition, creativity and resilience continue to drive innovation across a wide range of sectors.
👩💼 Women Entrepreneurs We’re Proud to Support
Here are just a few of the inspiring women-led ventures supported by WestBIC within our client community:
GROUND Wellbeing — Founded by Peigín Crowley, GROUND Wellbeing was created to make meaningful, therapeutic self-care accessible to all. Drawing on over 30 years of global spa expertise, Peigín has built an award-winning brand focused on women’s health, cancer care and holistic wellbeing.
- LegalMoov — Co-founded by Joanna Frivet, LegalMoov is a B2B AI-enabled onboarding and booking platform for legal professionals. The platform connects legal professionals with qualified leads while streamlining client onboarding, improving transparency and reducing non-billable hours.
- An Even Better Place to Work — Co-founded by Orla Bakeberg, this platform helps organisations address low employee engagement and workplace culture challenges. By providing real-time insights rather than delayed annual surveys, it enables leaders to take proactive action to improve team wellbeing and performance.
- Wild & Co — Co-founded by Laura McGoran, Wild & Co is transforming Ireland’s wild venison into clean, savoury, high-protein snack products, combining sustainability with innovative food production.
- Crust Gluten Free — Founded by Rosaleen Coates, Crust Gluten Free produces its products in a dedicated gluten-free facility, ensuring safe, high-quality food options for coeliacs and those following a gluten-free lifestyle.
These founders exemplify leadership, resilience and creativity — building businesses that serve diverse markets while creating meaningful impact both locally and internationally.
👩💼 Celebrating the WestBIC Women Team
Behind the scenes, a talented team of women at WestBIC help deliver the tailored supports that empowered these founders. Their expertise in mentoring, programme delivery, marketing, and operations plays a vital role in driving innovation across our regions.
Our team includes:
- Mary Ryan — Deputy CEO
- Colleen Baxter — Marketing & Project Executive
- Teresa O’Hara — HR / Support Services Manager
- Katherine Small — Start-Up Funding
- Alison McGonagle — Marketing & Project Executive
- Ailish McCormack — Business Analyst Executive
- Carmel Haughey — Administrator
- Niamh Considine — Marketing & Project Executive
Each brings passion, commitment and deep sector knowledge to their work supporting ambitious founders — helping to turn vision into reality.
📣 Why It Matters
Supporting women entrepreneurs strengthens communities and drives innovation across sectors. When women thrive in business, the benefits ripple across the economy — creating jobs, building resilient companies and bringing diverse perspectives to leadership and innovation.
This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the inspiring women entrepreneurs in our client community and the dedicated women within the WestBIC team who support them every day.
➡️ Explore more inspiring client stories:
https://www.westbic.ie/case-studies