Local businesswomen in final of £20k pitching fund

March 5, 2019

Three local businesswomen have been shortlisted to represent Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council area as finalists for the ‘Yes You Can’ £20,000 Pitching Competition. The final will take place at the 3rd Annual Female Entrepreneurs Conference on Friday 8 March, in Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort.

The ‘Yes You Can’ Pitching Competition is part of a new three year Female Enterprise Programme, which is a collaboration between the 11 NI councils, Invest NI and Women in Business. The full programme will be officially launched at the conference and delivered by Women in Business across Northern Ireland.

Twenty-five applications were received from Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council area. Carol Rossborough made it to the final with Esther Women Ltd; a peer-to-peer giving platform that allows donors to send money from their digital wallet directly to people in poverty, locally or internationally.

Joining Carol is Vivienne McKinnon of Hydro-Ease; Northern Ireland's only Floatation Centre. Based in Dundonald, it specialises in Havening, NLP and Timeline Therapy and Hypnosis.  The third finalist is Wendy Patterson of Wendy Ward Design; a unique creator of handmade pieces designed to centre around the delicacy, transparency and luminosity of porcelain.

Alderman William Leathem, Chairman of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s Development Committee, wished each finalist well in the run up to the event. Alderman Leathem said: “These local businesses are real success stories and I’ve been struck by their creative and individual nature.

“The ‘Yes You Can’ Pitching Competition is a great opportunity for local female entrepreneurs to grow and develop their businesses. The programme highlights the positive contribution that female businesswomen make to the economy and I’m delighted to see the extent of entrepreneurial talent that has been uncovered within our local area.”

At the beginning of the conference, finalists from Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council will join with three finalists from Ards and North Down Borough Council and one of the six businesswomen will be chosen as the winner of region and receive £3,000.  Six regional winners will then be invited to compete against each other, on stage, to win an additional £2,000. The audience will vote for the best pitch on the day.