Unlocking the Potential of Women Founders and Angels: A Conversation with Mary McKenna

Recently, I had the pleasure of catching up with Mary McKenna, MBE , a serial tech entrepreneur and a passionate advocate for women founders and angel investors. Our conversation was full of insights on entrepreneurship, the challenges faced by women in tech, and how we can create more opportunities for underrepresented groups in the investment space.

You can listen to the full interview on Gaule's Question Time on Appletion Time on Apple, Spotify, Google and many other podcast platforms. Many other interviews with the likes of Gina Domanig , Peter Gostev , Bill Liao , Jenni Morris , Atchara Poomee , Simon Portman , Yasmin Topia and many more great people.

Here are some of the great insights from Mary.

Bootstrapping Before It Was Cool

Mary shared her story of founding Learning Pool back in 2006—well before the world of online learning became mainstream. It was a time when ubiquitous broadband was still a novelty, and the idea of an online learning platform was ahead of its time. Mary and her co-founders bootstrapped the business because, as a female founder almost 20 years ago, securing external investment was nearly impossible. Despite the challenges, they scaled Learning Pool to 100 employees, ￡10 million in turnover, and over a million users before she exited in 2014. It was a journey that showed resilience, innovation, and a clear understanding of knowing when to pass the baton.

Lessons in Angel Investing

Following her exit, Mary moved into angel investing—initially making a few rushed investments that didn’t pan out, a lesson that made her more thoughtful and strategic in her future decisions. Today, her portfolio spans 30 early-stage businesses, and she emphasises the importance of joining syndicates and doing thorough due diligence. Her advice for new angels is invaluable: take time to learn from those with more experience before jumping in.

The Power of Values in Entrepreneurship

Mary underscored how crucial it is for founders to define their core values early on and embed them into the DNA of their businesses. As she pointed out, it’s easy to live by your values when your company is small, but the real test comes when you start scaling. For Mary, recruiting the right team and staying true to the culture she built were some of the hardest yet most rewarding aspects of growing Learning Pool.

Championing Women Founders: AwakenHub and AwakenAngels

One of the most inspiring parts of our chat was Mary's dedication to supporting women founders. To tackle the systemic lack of support for female entrepreneurs, Mary co-founded AwakenHub and AwakenAngels. These initiatives are designed to break down barriers for women across the island of Ireland, both in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

AwakenHub is a community-driven social enterprise aimed at supporting women founders at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey. With over 3,000 members, AwakenHub provides a platform where women can connect, share their experiences, and access valuable advice from those who have been through the startup grind. It’s not just about financial support—it’s about creating an environment where women feel empowered, inspired, and capable of scaling their businesses. Mary describes it as a place where founders can receive genuine community support and practical guidance to help their ventures thrive.

AwakenAngels builds on this by focusing on the investment side of the equation. It aims to bring more women into the world of angel investing while also helping female founders raise much-needed capital. The goal is two-fold: first, to provide funding for women-led businesses, and second, to create a supportive community of investors who understand the challenges these founders face. In just 12 months, AwakenAngels has attracted 80 new angel investors, with the majority being women who had never invested before. The syndicate is accessible, with a low entry point of €2,000, making it easier for first-time investors to get involved.

This isn’t just about money—it's about reshaping the investment landscape to make it more diverse and inclusive. Mary highlighted that many of the businesses supported by AwakenAngels are not aiming to be unicorns but are focused on creating jobs, adding value to their communities, and growing sustainably. In her view, this kind of grassroots impact is just as valuable as chasing sky-high valuations, especially in places like rural Ireland, where economic opportunities can be limited.

Creating Change Where We Can

We talked about the broader issues of diversity in investing and entrepreneurship. Mary shared her belief that although we may not be able to change everything, we can all contribute in our own spheres of influence. For her, that means being an entrepreneur-in-residence at her local school, sharing her experience with young girls, and encouraging them to explore careers in STEM. It’s about creating those early sparks that can one day lead to more female founders and investors in the tech space.

The Journey Continues

As our conversation wrapped up, it was clear that Mary’s passion for supporting other entrepreneurs, especially women, is driving her work today. She’s helping build a network that not only supports founders in the early days but also nurtures female angels who want to give back and grow the next generation of businesses.

If you’re a female founder, an aspiring angel investor, or just someone interested in the future of inclusive entrepreneurship, I highly recommend connecting with Mary McKenna, MBE . She's not just talking about change—she’s making it happen.

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