Press Release                                                                                                                                                                                     

Wednesday, October 21st 2026

Figures reveal that 13,500 training places and 3,700 mentoring assignments have been taken up by women in business over last two years, across four Dublin Local Enterprise Offices

Over three hundred women in business from Dublin City - and the wider Dublin area – gathered in Stillorgan this week to celebrate National Women’s Enterprise Day (Thursday, October 15th).

Organised by the four Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in Dublin, including Local Enterprise Office Dublin City, the sell-out event at the Talbot Hotel Stillorgan marked 20 years of National Women’s Enterprise Day (NWED) and was one of sixteen events taking place across the country this week.

Figures* released by the four Local Enterprise Offices in Dublin to coincide with NWED, show that 13,500 training places and 3,700 mentoring assignments have been taken up by women in business over last two years, across Dublin. The four LEOs in Dublin also support more than 2,250 female entrepreneurs annually through Women in Business Networks.

As part of the Female Founders’ panel at this year’s event, Áine Devlin, Co-founder of ExamRevision shared her business journey on stage alongside Sofie Rooney of Chimac, Mags Morgan of MizzRio and Dervla Arthurs of Snugabugz.

They were joined by multi-award-winning entrepreneur Jennifer Rock of the Skin Nerd and Danica Murphy of Prism with Broadcaster Anna Daly acting as the M.C. for the morning.

Speaking about the figures released to coincide with NWED, Warren Cray, Head of Enterprise at LEO Dublin City said: “As we celebrate 20 years of National Women's Enterprise Day, these figures reflect the remarkable contribution that women entrepreneurs continue to make to Dublin’s economy. The high level of participation reflected in these figures show the ambition and resilience of women in business. LEO Dublin City is committed to supporting women at every stage of their entrepreneurial development by providing access to training, expert advice, financial supports and opportunities to grow their business.”

One of the busiest areas on the day was the Exhibition Zone, where representatives from major state support agencies and organisations were giving out information to those starting up or running a business. They included:

• Local Enterprise Offices (DLR, South Dublin, Dublin City and Fingal)
• Enterprise Ireland
• National Enterprise Hub
• Microfinance Ireland
• Credit Review Office
• Department of Social Protection (Employer Relations)
• Revenue
• InterTradeIreland
• IADT
• NovaUCD
• TU Dublin
• Southside Partnership
• Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board (Services for Business team)

Co-founded by LEO Dublin City’s NWED 2026 representative, Áine Devlin, ExamRevision is a teaching & learning platform for Irish secondary schools. Often described as the "21st Century Textbook", the platform combines bite sized video tutorials, self-correcting quizzes, ppt presentations, notes, exam papers and teacher dashboards for assigning and monitoring student progress. What began as an innovative approach to exam preparation has evolved into a leading digital learning platform, now used by more than one in three secondary schools in Ireland. As the business continues to grow, ExamRevision is expanding into the primary education sector while also exploring opportunities in international markets.

Speaking about National Women’s Enterprise Day, Áine Devlin said: “It is important because it gives visibility, recognition and practical support to women in business. For me, it is also about representation and confidence. As a teacher and co-founder of ExamRevision, I have always been passionate about helping all students access high-quality education and believe in their own ability. This is especially important in Maths, where many students, including girls, can struggle with confidence or feel that the subject is “not for them.” I believe that when students are given the right supports and the opportunity to learn at their own pace, they can achieve far more than they often think possible.

National Women’s Enterprise Day reflects that same idea on a wider level. When women see other women starting businesses, leading teams, innovating and overcoming challenges, it makes entrepreneurship feel more accessible and achievable. It shows younger women and girls that business, technology, education and leadership are all spaces where they belong.”

Next year’s National Women’s Enterprise Day event for the Dublin Region will take place in October 2027 in South Dublin.

ENDS

For further information, or requests to interview any of the organisers or entrepreneurs mentioned, please contact:

Dublin City Council Media Relations Office

press@dublincity.ie 

OR

Local Enterprise Office Dublin City

T: (01) 222 5611

E: info@leo.dublincity.ie

Statistics quoted

Figures* released by the four Local Enterprise Offices in Dublin to coincide with NWED, show that 13,500 training places and 3,700 mentoring assignments have been taken up by women in business over last two years, across Dublin. The four LEOs in Dublin also support more than 2,250 female entrepreneurs through Women in Business Networks.

Collective figures for four Local Enterprise Offices in Dublin (Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, South Dublin, Dublin City and Fingal)

• Total number of training places taken up by women in business during 2024 and 2025: 13,557
• Total number of mentoring assignments taken up by women in business during 2024 and 2025: 3,735
• Combined membership for women in business networks (across four Dublin LEOs) in 2026: 2,256

Captions:

Image 1 – Back row: Peter Connolly, Head of Enterprise, LEO South Dublin; Oisín Geoghegan, Head of Enterprise, LEO Fingal; Cllr Barry Saul, An Cathaoirleach of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council; Warren Cray, Head of Enterprise, LEO Dublin City. Front row: Sofie Rooney of Chimac, Derval Arthurs of Snugabugz, Mags Morgan of Mizz Rio, l, Áine Devlin of Exam Revision, Jennifer Rock CEO of the Skin Nerd and Lisa Brown, Head of Enterprise, LEO Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown

Image 2 – Sarah Walker, Senior Executive Enterprie Ireland; Áine Devlin of Exam Revision; Warren Cray, Head of Enterprise, LEO Dublin City; Derval Arthurs of Snugabugz; Jennifer Rock CEO of the Skin Nerd; Sofie Rooney of Chimac.

Image 3 - Derval Arthurs of Snugabugz; Áine Devlin of Exam Revision; Mags Morgan of Mizz Rio; Sofie Rooney of Chimac, and Jennifer Rock CEO of the Skin Nerd.