Derry entrepreneurs return from high-level US trade mission

Two Derry businesswomen have returned from the United States after being selected to take part for a second time in a high-level St Brigid’s Day trade mission, in recognition of the significant commercial progress they've made since their first participation in 2025.

Lisa McLaughlin, founder of Clúmh, and Mary Blake, founder of SeeMe Ltd, were among this year’s selected cohort for the fourth annual St Brigid’s Day trade mission led by AwakenHub, Ireland’s only all island community for women founders, and AwakenAngels, the first women led all island investment syndicate. Both founders were invited back for the strong progress they have made since their first mission and the significant potential they have to scale their ventures internationally.

The prestigious trade mission saw the women founders formally welcomed by senior leaders at Babson College, widely regarded as the world’s leading institution for entrepreneurial education, and by senior diplomatic representatives in Boston and New York. They also participated in a private roundtable lunch with former US Ambassador to Ireland, Claire Cronin.

Now in its fourth year, the trade mission aims to help participating businesses accelerate international growth, secure US investment, and build long-term commercial links in the American market. Previous participants have received six-figure investments in as little as seven weeks following meetings organised as part of the trip.

This year, the Derry-based businesses joined others across technology, diagnostics, health, consumer brands, and professional services, with investment asks on the mission ranging from €1M to €7M.

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Speaking about her time on the mission,Lisa McLaughlin said: "This was my second US trade mission with AwakenHub and AwakenAngels, and it came at a pivotal moment for Clúmh and Felture®. From the Babson College welcome and roundtables to sessions on US market insight, IP strategy, and honest conversations with investors and founders, the trip helped me reflect on our R&D journey and plan the next phase of growth with confidence.

"It was also fantastic to reconnect with existing contacts and spend time with the teams at the British and Irish Consulates in Boston and New York, Invest NI The Americas, and the Bank of Ireland Hub NYC. I am also really grateful to the entire AwakenHub team for making these trips possible. Their support and energy are invaluable."

Mary Blake added: "The AwakenHub and AwakenAngels St Brigid’s Day Trade Mission was phenomenal.  The calibre of contacts we made and the offers of support will make the path ahead much easier for my business. SeeMe has opportunities to help our diaspora connect to stories and memories that cross locations and generations.  The synergy between Derry and the great cities of Boston and New York is historic, but as alive today as it ever was. We look forward to continuing this journey with investors, partners, and champions as we prepare for a US market launch later this year."

For the first time, the delegation took part in invitation-only engagements hosted by Babson College in Boston. The founders were formally welcomed by Babson President Dr Stephen Spinelli. They also met Donna Levin, CEO of the Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson and founder of Care.com, during a dedicated founders’ roundtable.

The programme also included pitch events for curated investor audiences held in partnership with the Irish and British Consulates in Boston and New York, and supported by Invest NI, NI Bureau, Enterprise Ireland, the Government of Ireland, Emigrant Support Programme, and Digital Irish. Across the week, the women met US-based investors, legal advisers, and commercial partners, including targeted briefings and roundtables focused on scaling, regulation, and US market entry, at the Bank of Ireland NYC Hub.

The successful mission follows the recent release of figures from AwakenAngels showing that, since its creation in 2023, the Derry-headquartered syndicate has already supported eight high-growth businesses across the island of Ireland, leveraging €4.3 million in follow-through funding. Over 3,500 women are now members of the all-island AwakenHub founder community.

Upon return from their most recent trade mission, both organisations are inviting any women founders who would like to find out about the support they offer and their programmes, or anyone interested in finding out more about angel investing to support Irish women-led businesses, to get in touch by emailing hello@awakenhub.com or visiting the Contact Us page at awakenhub.com.

Speaking about the mission, Clare McGee, co-founder and CEO of AwakenHub and AwakenAngels, said: “Being welcomed by Babson College, as the home of entrepreneurial education, sends a powerful signal about the calibre of women-led businesses like those led by Mary and Lisa that are emerging from across the island of Ireland. This mission has also become a key fixture for US investors in both cities who want early access to Irish innovation.

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“In recent weeks, we’ve once again seen volatility across markets, yet rather than pausing their ambitions, the women on our trade mission are continuing their planning around building resilient, scalable companies that can grow through uncertainty, in the markets that are important to them, like the US.

“Women-led businesses across our island have repeatedly proven their commercial strength, but to get to that stage, they need access to capital and investment, expertise and know-how, international networks, and a supportive community around them. Thanks to the support of our partners and the Irish diaspora community, that’s what AwakenHub and AwakenAngels give them, and that’s what they find on the ground, on this mission in spades.”

The 2026 AwakenHub and AwakenAngels St Brigid’s Day trade mission included seven women from Northern Ireland and seven from the Republic of Ireland. 

Participants from Northern Ireland include: Tonya Kidd-Beggs, STORIES Parfums, Bangor, Co. Down; Claire Nixon, Adepta Partners, Knock, Belfast; Shannon Beattie, GenoME Diagnostics, Belfast (originally Annahilt, Co. Down); Rachel McMullin, FreQNC, Bangor, Co, Down; Lisa McLaughlin, Clúmh, Derry and Mary Blake, SeeMe Ltd, Derry (formerly Enniskillen), Gillian Heatherington, The Mary Peters Trust, Belfast.

Participants from the Republic of Ireland include: Orla and Anna Snook O’Carroll, Valentia Island Vermouth, Co. Kerry; Emma Meehan, KinetikIQ, Co. Galway; Orla Connaughton, Aztec Medical, Co. Galway; Victoria Finlay, The MenoPal, Saggart, Co. Dublin, Sinéad Asple, SEA+SOLU Haircare, Co.Dublin (formerly Longford), and Janine McGinn from Atlantic Technological University, Galway.