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Who We Are

We are dedicated in helping women thrive in STEM industries

Experienced. Dedicated. Supportive.

Our team has decades of real world experience supporting new product and service development for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs. We know there are huge career opportunities for women in pharma, tech, mechanical, electronic or food in Ireland. We are dedicated to developing a programme to support women to access this opportunity.

THRIVE4women programme is delivered by Regional Development Centre in Dundalk Institute of Technology who have a successful track record of delivering entrepreneurship programmes across the region. THRIVE participants will receive complimentary membership to THRIVE Network for women who are working in the STEM sector.

Our team is comprised of two highly experienced people

Lavina McGahon

THRIVE Programme Manager

I am passionate about entrepreneurship and startups. I am an experienced business consultant, mentor, trainer and project manager. I have a track record in supporting a range of clients on successful journeys to scale and secure funding. I help clients grow their established businesses by developing their business strategy, clarifying commercial objectives and creating roadmaps to achieve them. I am an experienced marketing professional proficient in supporting businesses create and communicate their commercial message to the right audience across the right platform. It is important to me to advocate for my clients where I can, or signpost them to the right person or supports.

Garrett Duffy

Incubation Centre MANAGER DKIT RDC

Since joining the Regional Development Centre in DkIT, I have worked with over 400 new start-up businesses, in my roles as Incubation Centre Manager, Enterprise Platform Programme Manager and New Frontiers Programme manager (2012 – 2018). I also headed up DkIT's Student Intern Programme to encourage business ownership and enterprise amongst the student population. These roles coupled with my own experience of business ownership have given me an insight into the different needs of entrepreneurs: encouragement, support, advice, mentoring and the need to be challenged. Needs that form the cornerstone of all our supports for start-up and early stage businesses.

Enough Talk, Let Us Help You Start Your Stem Journey