Going for Growth

What Going for Growth does

Going for Growth is an Irish non-profit entrepreneurship support initiative founded in 2008 by Paula Fitzsimons, who serves as National Director. It targets ambitious female entrepreneurs in the Republic of Ireland who are owner-managers of businesses trading for at least two years, with the explicit aim of helping them increase turnover, create jobs, and enter export markets. The programme is funded entirely by Enterprise Ireland (a government development agency) and KPMG (a Big 4 professional services firm), and participation is free of charge; there is no commercial revenue model.

The core delivery model is peer-led: each six-month cycle accepts approximately 60 participants and runs them through monthly facilitated roundtable sessions, with successful business women serving as volunteer Lead Entrepreneurs. The product portfolio comprises the core Going for Growth Programme (six-month cycles), Starting Strong (launched 2017 for early-stage entrepreneurs, supported by sub-sponsors Beauchamps, Glandore, and Manverton), and Continuing the Momentum (post-graduation round tables and an annual Community Forum). The initiative has no proprietary technology; programme administration is coordinated by the Fitzsimons Consulting team from a single office in Malahide, Co. Dublin, with a headcount of 1–10.

Going for Growth has supported over 950–1,000 female entrepreneurs across 17 completed cycles since 2008 and is currently in its 18th cycle, with a 19th cycle scheduled for January to June 2027. It has been recognised internationally by the EU, OECD, and the European Institute of Gender Equality, including the 2015 European Enterprise Promotion Award in the Investing in Entrepreneurial Skills category. The organisation operates exclusively in the Republic of Ireland and is dependent on a concentrated base of two core sponsors for its funding.

Name

Going for Growth

Legal name

Going for Growth

Website

https://goingforgrowth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Going for Growth is a non-profit, peer-led entrepreneurship programme in Ireland that supports ambitious female owner-managers through six-month facilitated roundtable cycles, funded by Enterprise Ireland and KPMG.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Support Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Innovation Leadership & Leading Growth (EDABAAAO), Change Management & Transformation Leadership (EDABAAAD)

Keywords

• Women entrepreneurship support
• Business growth programme
• Peer learning roundtables
• Female founder mentorship
• Small business development

Headquarters

HQ city

Malahide

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Programme Delivery (Public Funding): Going for Growth is funded entirely by Enterprise Ireland (a government development agency) and KPMG (a professional services firm). The programme is free for participants. There is no commercial revenue model; the initiative is a grant-funded economic development programme designed to support female entrepreneurship in Ireland.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Going for Growth delivers a six-month peer-led business development programme for female owner-managers in the Republic of Ireland, structured around monthly roundtables facilitated by Lead Entrepreneurs who are themselves successful business founders. The programme is offered free of charge to participants and is complemented by Starting Strong for early-stage entrepreneurs and Continuing the Momentum, an alumni engagement programme.

Product overview

Going for Growth is a single, unified entrepreneurship support programme with two complementary initiatives. The core Going for Growth Programme is a six-month initiative for established female entrepreneurs (trading 2+ years) using peer-led roundtable sessions facilitated by successful entrepreneurs. Starting Strong extends this model to early-stage entrepreneurs in pre-revenue or early revenue phases, offering additional workshop support. Continuing the Momentum provides ongoing round table participation for programme graduates. All three initiatives operate on a peer-learning model, with volunteer Lead Entrepreneurs sharing practical growth experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Starting Strong: A complementary initiative for ambitious female entrepreneurs at an early stage in the development of their business, typically at early revenue stage. It offers a specially tailored programme with topic-based workshops and celebratory events.
• Continuing The Momentum

Products and services

• Going for Growth Programme Six-month peer-led business development programme for female owner-managers in the Republic of Ireland, structured around monthly roundtables facilitated by experienced Lead Entrepreneurs who are themselves successful founders. Includes themed workshops and one-to-one sessions, and is offered free of charge to participants.
• Starting Strong

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 female entrepreneurs have completed Going for Growth across 17 cycles
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Enterprise IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnterprise Ireland is the primary government sponsor of Going for Growth. It is the government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. Enterprise Ireland provides funding and strategic support, and actively promotes the programme to eligible women entrepreneurs across Ireland. CEO Jenny Melia has publicly endorsed the programme as a key initiative for supporting women-led businesses to scale.
• KPMGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKPMG is a co-primary sponsor of Going for Growth, providing both funding and operational support. KPMG delivers workshops to participants and has recorded promotional videos at launch events and celebrations featuring participants' names and images. Partner Olivia Lynch has stated KPMG's dedication to championing female entrepreneurship through the programme, providing mentorship, resources, and community.
• BeauchampsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeauchamps is a Starting Strong Supporter for 2025. As a corporate sponsor, it provides additional funding that enables Starting Strong participants to receive topic-based workshops, profiling in a separate brochure, and attendance at an end-of-cycle celebratory event.
• GlandoreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlandore is a Starting Strong Supporter for 2025. Glandore provides corporate sponsorship enabling additional supports for early-stage female entrepreneurs on the Starting Strong programme, including workshops and celebratory events.
• ManvertonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManverton is a Starting Strong Supporter for 2025. It is co-founded by Susan Spence, a Lead Entrepreneur of Going for Growth. Manverton provides sponsorship to support the additional needs of early-stage participants.
• Fitzsimons ConsultingcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGoing for Growth was designed and developed by Paula Fitzsimons, founder and National Director. The initiative is coordinated by the Fitzsimons Consulting Team. Paula Fitzsimons is also the founder and managing director of Fitzsimons Consulting, which specialises in entrepreneurship and growth.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ACORNS: Ireland-based peer-led accelerator programme for early-stage female entrepreneurs, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Most direct geographic and conceptual peer, with overlap in target audience and roundtable-style mentoring.
• Astia: Global nonprofit connecting female entrepreneurs with expert networks and capital to scale. Comparable mission and stakeholder-supported (corporate-sponsored) model for removing barriers to growth for women-led companies.
• Tory Burch Foundation: US-based foundation supporting female entrepreneurs through fellowships, mentorship, and the Tory Burch Foundation Capital Programme. Comparable in targeting ambitious women business owners and providing curated peer/mentor networks.
• EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women: EY's global cohort programme identifying and supporting ambitious women entrepreneurs through curated workshops, mentoring, and networking. Highly comparable in mission (scaling women-led businesses), cohort structure, and corporate sponsorship model.
• Springboard Enterprises: US-headquartered accelerator network dedicated to scaling women-led companies through investor and peer connections. Closely comparable cohort-driven, peer-network approach aimed at growth-stage female founders.

Broad incumbents

• WEConnect International: Global nonprofit helping women-owned businesses compete in corporate supply chains through certification, training, and connections. Comparable in mission to support women-owned business growth, though delivery is certification-driven rather than cohort-based.
• Cartier Women's Initiative Award: Annual award and fellowship programme supporting early-stage women entrepreneurs worldwide with funding, mentoring, and visibility. Comparable in elevating ambitious female founders, though delivered as a competition/fellowship rather than an ongoing cohort.
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women: Goldman Sachs Foundation initiative providing business and management education to women entrepreneurs globally. Broader in geographic reach and scale; comparable in targeting female founders and operating through institutional sponsorship.

Regional players

• Endeavor: Global high-impact entrepreneur support organisation operating in 40+ markets with mentorship, networks, and capital. Comparable in supporting scale-stage founders through curated peer/mentor engagement, though not exclusively focused on women.

Emerging players

• Babson College – Center for Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership: US academic institution focused on advancing women entrepreneurship through research, education, and network programmes. Comparable in mission and in delivering cohort-style leadership development to women founders.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/goingforgrowth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Going for Growth