Three Irish Women Founders Honoured at TechFoundHer Awards

Three women from Ireland are making waves in tech. They were honoured for building successful technology enterprises. As part of the first group of the WeBuild program by InterTradeIreland and TechFoundHer, they joined over 300 women innovators at the annual TechFoundHer Summit in Dublin.

The Breakthrough Awards, now in their second year, recognized these entrepreneurs. It’s sponsored by Lata Setty, a venture capitalist; Catherine Gray, a tech biz veteran and Show Her The Money’s producer; and Debra Smalley, an angel investor and real estate agent .

At the Mansion House event, organizers celebrated progress, momentum and innovation while announcing the winners on stage. The event brought together women-led startups, funders, tech leaders, and ecosystem supporters for a day filled with visibility, innovation, and action. Capping off Dublin Tech Week, the summit, put together by Co Down businesswoman and TechFoundHer creator Máirín Murray, is now in its fourth year and a key part of the city’s startup community. In 2026, the award winners were Deirdre McCarthy from FLIT, Karen Kelly of HeartPath, and Rachel McMullin, founder of FreQNC.

Key Highlight:

• Three women founders won the 2026 Breakthrough Awards for their tech startups.
• The WeBuild program helped 28 more women entrepreneurs grow and gain exposure.
• Over 300 people from innovators to tech leaders joined the TechFoundHer Summit to celebrate female innovation.

Máirín congratulated the winners, calling the Breakthrough Awards a way to celebrate "real progress" by women founders. From launching their first product to raising funds and boosting their user base, these awards acknowledge their significant impact. TechFoundHer backs women tech founders throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland. Their initiatives, the Summit, the WeBuild program, and the Breakthrough Awards, are key to helping females thrive in a mostly male industry.

She said, “The Breakthrough awards matter because women tech founders and innovators are already leading, building and shaping the future of technology and too often, the amplification is missing. These awards are about creating our own platform of recognition. They shine a light on the progress, momentum and meaningful innovation happening across women-led tech ventures, especially at the early stages where visibility can make such a difference.”

Deirdre McCarthy from Carlow made FLIT, a financial literacy tool that helps women make better financial choices. She stated, “There is a magic to this programme, I can’t quite put it into words, but I was lucky enough to do Innovation Labs and now WeBuild and both times I saw a huge surge in progress. It’s something to do with feeling safe and supported which allows me to be courageous and step out in the world.”

Rachel McMullin from Co Down, a fellow WeBuild participant, created FreQNC. This tool ups task tracking by predicting production and workflow delays. Of the 28 women in the first WeBuild cohort, Rachel had a shot at winning a Breakthrough Award too. Through TechFoundHer's WeBuild program, Rachel says her project got a huge boost. So, it's clear WeBuild played a big part in her progress.