ACORNS 10 ran from October 2024 to April 2025 with 52 early stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland completing the programme. At the end of the cycle, all of the participants returned end of cycle surveys.
Based on these surveys:
All participants reported that participation in ACORNS was of value to their business.
• The combined turnover of the overall group increased by €1.5m over the six months period to €4.3m (+53%).
• Eight participants became exporters for the first time.
• There were 15 additional employees hired during the period (12 full time and 3 part-time).
The ACORNS 10 participants were very positive regarding their experience of the initiative: 96% reported that they made a business decision during the round table sessions; 90% said participation brought about practical change within their business; 100% felt nearer to achieving their ambitions; 100% would recommend participating in ACORNS to others; and 98% would welcome a means of staying in contact with the ACORNS network.
Dr Colm O’Gorman, Professor of Entrepreneurship at DCU, together with a DCU researcher, composed a 10 Year Report and Evaluation of ACORNS. This was extremely positive and captured the impact and qualitative impact of ACORNS over the period. The full report can be found here.