Empowering Female Healthcare & Life Science Innovators
Grit International Female Accelerator aims to enable female entrepreneurs operating in digital health and life science-with the knowledge and confidence-required to scale their individual business. There is no cost to participate and no equity taken.
This acceleration programme will provide hands-on support and allow participants to gain access to accumulated knowledge, skills, healthcare and life science entrepreneurial expertise. This access will be supported by weekly innovative online meetings, interactive workshops, exclusive masterclasses led by our core partners, established mentor network, and a growing international alumni network.
Grit accelerator is operated through GDTHealth Network (Global Digital Technologies Health Network) Not-for-profit membership organisation, operating as a Company Limited by Guarantee. We provide a global network for digital health & life science to collaborate with industry, academia and public sector organisations.
We support cutting edge research and development, commercialisation and global growth of technology solutions. And encourage and facilitate innovative ways of working together.
7 Further Reasons To Participant In Grit
1. Opportunities to grow your business through international collaboration
2. Gain greater understanding of the many challenges faced-when working outside your home market
3. Build lifelong relationships with other international female participants
4. Develop a business case for digital transformation in your business
5. Establish the infrastructure for digital transformation
6. Evaluate who you aspire to be- as a leader
7. Get investment ready-by understanding your individual business funding requirements
Bespoke Female Accelerator
There is significant evidence that female entrepreneurs face unique challenges in starting and growing businesses, particularly in emerging markets. Accelerator programmes, which are designed to help start-up businesses achieve scale, represent one potential model for overcoming these challenges through support services and investment.
Bespoke female accelerator programmes, examines through two lenses: first, delivery of best approaches to support female entrepreneurs; and second, addressing the significant confidence and knowledge gap around fundraising, and therefore developing and designing an accelerator that would provide specific support targeting knowledge and negotiating skills.
"No cost to participate and no equity taken"
Diane Nevin, CEO & Startup Programme Director
The Role of Gender in Start-up Funding
Sourcing venture capital is often one of the primary factors that a start-up can succeed or fail. While gender diversity contributes to start-up success, most funding is allocated to male-only entrepreneurial teams.
Women in global healthcare industries, makes up 50% to 75% of the workforces. However, the health technology, female led, by comparison, continues to struggle with a significant gender gap, its workforce is only about one-quarter female.
Health technology, a growing field that includes medical device, device-based diagnostic, digital health, and health information technology companies, sits squarely between the healthcare and high-technology industries. However, its gender landscape remains undefined.
Our objective is to improve this current metric through the learnings obtained within our Grit programme.
Our Vision
To enable female entrepreneurs in digital health and life science, with the confidence and skills required to scale a global business. We will do this through our virtual accelerator, connecting entrepreneurs, building networks and partnerships with other organisations who share our global vision.
Our Mission
To facilitate a transfer of knowledge-in digital health and life science. To analyse key digital transformation frameworks and strategies. To encourage all female participants to always start and re-evaluate the ‘need’ and not jump in with a solution. To make ongoing user engagement paramount-throughout all areas of their business models.
Meet Our Team
Diane Nevin
CEO & Startup Programme Director
Laila Engkat
International Digital Marketing & Events Manager
Kristina Eskenazi
AI & Cyber Security Consultant
Professor Kerryn Butler-Henderson
Digital Health Consultant
Advisory Team
Diane Nevin
CEO & Startup Programme Director
Eilísh Hardiman
Chief Executive at Children’s Health Ireland
Eibhlin Mulroe
Chief Executive at Cancer Trials Ireland
Barbara Skerritt
Senior Director, Innovation Delivery at ICON plc-Ireland
Susan Neenan
Senior Director, Global Vendor Relationship, Risk Management at Alexion Pharm International Operations Ireland
Conor Russell
Vice President of Operations at Boston Scientific Ireland
Sarita Johnson
Director, Business Planning at Capstone Business Advisors Limited
Joann Rhodes
Chief Executive at Health Innovation Research Alliance – Northern Ireland (HIRANI)
Anna King
Commercial Director at Health Innovation Network-NHS South London UK
Agne Vaitkeviciene
Executive Director at Lithuanian Biotechnology Association-Lithuania
Ligia Kornowska
Medical doctor & Managing Director of the Polish Hospital Federation-Poland
Professor Sarah Wamala Andersson
Professor of Health and Welfare Technology Malardalen University-Sweden
Kristina Eskenazi
Founder of Health & Life Sciences Cluster Bulgaria & Chair of Bulgarian Bio-Scientific Society Artificial Intelligence-Bulgaria
Hrvoje Belani
Head of Sector for IS Implementation and Improvement at Directorate for e-Health at Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia
Jennie Lynch
Senior Vice President, Life Sciences at Enterprise Ireland, Boston, Massachusetts, United State
P.J Moloney
CEO & Founder, Chief Scientific Officer & Director at P4ML, Dubai UAE
Professor Kerryn Butler-Henderson
Digital Health Expert at RMIT, University Melbourne, Australia
Who Should Apply
International female start-ups and diverse teams that are operating in digital health and life science. The business must be at proof of concept stage, preferably with some investment already obtained. The business must be scalable and innovative.
Applications are currently closed. We will be open for new applications in June 2022. Please submit your interest and company details through the F6S button or Google From below.
Participate Benefits
- Participate in a 10 week intensive programme with over 30 online meetings and 45 hours of programme content-delivered by industry experts
- Develop the skills required to take your business to the next level
- Receive mentoring from experts within your industry
- Become investment ready
- Grow your international network
- Gain greater understanding of the many challenges faced-when working outside your home market
Programme Learnings
- Leadership
- Product Market Fit Frameworks
- International Market Challenges/Cultures
- Ethical Issues/Digital Governance
- Cyber Security in Healthcare
- AI in Healthcare
- Raising Investment
- Mentoring
Closed Programme Timeline
Our Partners
