Taylor Wessing

The development brings together a global law firm with a focus on supporting the success and scale-up of early-stage businesses, and a multi-sectoral community of women founders.

AwakenHub’s community has grown rapidly in just over two-and-a-half years to 2,600 Irish and Irish-connected women founders at various stages on their founder journey, from super early-stage, growing businesses, to those seeking pre-seed and follow-on investment.

As a registered social enterprise, AwakenHub directs all profits towards meeting its social impact mission, to level up opportunity, access and connectivity for women founders throughout the island of Ireland by removing barriers to investment, scale and success.

Taylor Wessing is now confirmed as lead sponsor of AwakenHub’s SheGenerate Programme which is currently in its second cohort supporting 31 women over an eight-month period embarking on their founder journey.

The firm will also work alongside the AwakenHub Founding Team to support women from all sectors across the AwakenHub community seeking to build scalable and/or investable businesses.

The announcement ties in with AwakenHub’s first international trade mission to New York where it will be hosting an exclusive women founders showcase and pitch event on St Brigid’s Day to a room of prospective investors and family offices.

Sinead Crowley, co-founder of AwakenHub, said: “AwakenHub is a mission driven organisation and sometimes the stars align bringing two companies together who share a commitment and desire to achieve real impact.

“This is how we feel about our partnership with Taylor Wessing. We are so looking forward to benefiting from their industry knowledge and experience and sharing that with the women founders in our community.”

Adam Griffiths, head of Taylor Wessing’s Dublin office, added: “AwakenHub’s mission to level up opportunity, access and connectivity for women founders throughout the island of Ireland by removing barriers to investment, scale and success aligns with our core areas of expertise and values.

“We are delighted to partner with the AwakenHub team. Like Taylor Wessing, they are dynamic, driven and ambitious for founders.”