Women Founders To Share Tech Innovations At Belfast Lunch & Learn Event

Women in tech organisation TechFoundHer is set to host an Innovation Lunch & Learn in Belfast on Monday, 30th September, as part of Belfast Tech Week.

The event will spotlight three women-led tech startups, Medicube Health, HedgeHog Financial Wellness and Music Video Marketplace who provide innovative solutions in healthcare, financial wellbeing and music visualisation.

The hour-long event, led by Mairin Murray, founder of TechFoundHer, and Laura McClean from Synechron, will offer attendees the chance to learn from these founders' experiences and highlight how local women are driving tech innovation.

Attendees will be introduced to the work of Dr Rawa Lina Jawad, CEO and founder of Medicube Health, whose company is focused on helping dentists improve communication with patients.

Medicube's platform curates tailored information bundles for patients to enhance their understanding of treatment plans and helps dentists centralise consent management, addressing common issues in patient communication that can lead to misunderstandings and legal risks.

Also presenting at the event is Caitlin Hafer, co-founder of HedgeHog Financial Wellness. HedgeHog aims to help young people regain control over their financial decisions amid increasing political, financial, and social stress.

By teaching critical thinking and decision-making skills through their app, HedgeHog supports users in gathering insights into their own behaviours and making informed financial choices.

Rounding off TechFoundHer's event is Loraa White, CEO of Music Video Marketplace.

Aimed at musicians and record labels hoping to boost their audiences, Music Video Marketplace strays from traditional video production companies and instead uniquely offers a platform where numerous visuals can be curated within minutes.

Speaking of the lineup, TechFoundHer founder Mairin Murray said: "Amazing to be part of Belfast’s first tech week as it aligns with our vision to make sure women innovating with tech are visible and celebrated.

"The city is beginning to boom as a tech hub and there’s amazing energy and excitement!

"We are on a mission with TechFoundHer to radically reset the current status quo. We need to create new and bold pathways to advance women to innovate with tech and create tech startups. "It's about finding the women with big ambitions who want to harness tech, propelling them forward and funding them!"

The Innovation Lunch & Learn is just one of several events TechFoundHer is hosting in Belfast as part of their autumn schedule.

On 3rd October as part of AI Con at Titanic Belfast, Mairin Murray will host the AI Founders panel - Innovating with AI Right Now, featuring Angelika Sharygina (Mindshield), Tina Calder (Excalibur Press and NIMUE AI), and Jemma Simpson (Diverse AI). The panel will focus on the role diversity plays in the AI sector and how it can drive innovation.

On 16th October, TechFoundHer will partner with the Women in STEM Summit 2024 at Titanic Belfast, hosting a panel that will explore the contributions of women in the STEM fields and the importance of fostering an inclusive tech ecosystem.

Finally, on 28th November, TechFoundHer presents a panel at Entrepreneurs Unleashed at the Cathy Short Theatre in Belfast. This event will celebrate the achievements of women in the tech industry and explore the challenges and opportunities they face in scaling their businesses.

In addition to the autumn programme which also includes an Innovation Lunch & Learn at Huckletree in Dublin on September 20, TechFoundHer has launched its 2-month Innovation Labs support programme for women entrepreneurs. Funded through the Shared Island initiative, a collaboration supported by InterTradeIreland, Invest Northern Ireland, and Enterprise Ireland, this initiative is designed to empower women tech founders with the skills, tools, and confidence to lead tech product development—even without a technical background.

"Many women have tech-driven ambitions but lack the technical know-how to bring those ideas to life. The Innovation Labs will bridge that gap by offering immersive, hands-on learning in AI tools, low-code/no-code platforms, and innovative frameworks," said Mairin.

The Innovation Labs programme offers a structured programme of in-person workshops, online webinars, and support sessions aimed at equipping women tech founders with the skills needed to effectively work alongside technical teams and propel their businesses forward. The successful cohort will be provided with practical tools and guidance to help them develop and scale their tech solutions.

For more information about future TechFoundHer events and the Innovation Labs programme go to techfoundher.com.