AwakenHub and AwakenAngels have announced an expansion of their successful US trade mission programme, with opportunities now available for women founders to join new delegations to Cleveland, San Francisco, New York and Boston.
Both organisations have also opened a new series of autumn founder and investor programmes for registration, creating one of the strongest pipelines of growth opportunities to-date for women founders and angel investors across the island of Ireland.
The announcement comes following the conclusion of their SheVentures 2026 Summit, which brought more than 250 founders, investors and business leaders to Lusty Beg Island in Co Fermanagh.
AwakenAngels has also been named as a finalist in three categories in the UK Business Angels Association Angel Investor awards, including Angel Group of the Year.
Expressions of interest are now open for the new trade missions, including the first joint mission by both organisations to Cleveland, Ohio. Taking place from 27 to 30 September 2026, ten founder places are available for the Cleveland mission, developed in partnership with Team NEO and the City of Mentor. It includes participation in VC Fest, investor meetings, pitch opportunities, and business development events. It follows the first visit by delegates from the City of Mentor to Derry in April, facilitated by AwakenHub. A San Francisco trade mission will follow in October, followed by the sixth AwakenHub and AwakenAngels trade mission to New York and Boston in February 2027.
Alongside the new trade mission opportunities, applications are open for a new wave of autumn founder and investor programmes, including WeScale. Aimed at unlocking the potential of women entrepreneurs across the island, it is delivered by AwakenHub and is led by InterTradeIreland, in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, under the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme and funded by the Government of Ireland.
The sixth cohort of AwakenHub’s SheGenerate programme, which to-date has supported 168 women founders, is also open for registration. Supported by AIB and British Business Bank, it is Ireland’s first all-island accelerator-lite programme for early-stage female founders. In addition, AwakenAngels has opened registration for its CPD-Accredited Angel Investor and Deal Leader training programmes. The new developments come as graduates from the inaugural WeScale programme and the fifth cohort of the SheGenerate programme were recognised at SheVentures.
Speaking about the new developments, Clare McGee, cofounder and CEO of AwakenHub and AwakenAngels, said: "At SheVentures, there were two clear calls from our delegates. The first was show me the money, and the other was greater access to customers, investors, international markets and strategic networks. We’ve been listening to our community, which is why we’ve created these new trade missions, designed to help build useful connections and provide access to new investment opportunities.
“SheVentures also highlighted the importance of continuing to strengthen the capital and support ecosystem for women founders. This year, we celebrated graduates from the first WeScale cohort, many of whom had previously come through our SheGenerate programme. Seeing founders progress from early-stage ideas to businesses ready to scale internationally is exactly why these programmes matter.
"We are grateful to InterTradeIreland, Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland for their support of WeScale, and to AIB and the British Business Bank for their continued backing of SheGenerate. Their support is tangibly enabling women founders to succeed, grow ambitious businesses, and realise their potential, no matter where they are based.
“To also receive the news that we have been shortlisted for three of the most coveted awards in the angel investment sector in the UK is also further recognition of the progress we are making here with the support of our partners. Right now, we have 12 live opportunities for women investors and founders on our website, and I’m urging anyone who is connected to the founder ecosystem across this island to make sure any ambitious women-led businesses they know are pointed in our direction so they can step forward and take advantage of them."
Further information on the new trade missions and programmes now available can be found online at
www.awakenhub.com.
