We’re proud to share that Dainty Grace, a start-up founded by Queen’s alumna Sarah Greer, has won first place at the WE Innovate 2025 Grand Final in London — marking a huge achievement for both Sarah and Queen’s in our first year delivering this major national initiative.

Sarah, a graduate of the MSc in Software Development, was awarded £15,000 in funding and a legal support package worth £3,000 to help grow Dainty Grace, which designs better-fitting lingerie for small-chested women. Her win comes at the end of a six-month journey through the inaugural WE Innovate National programme, which Queen’s co-delivered in partnership with Imperial College London.

Reflecting on her experience, Sarah said:

“Winning the WE Innovate Grand Final has been such a proud and unforgettable moment, personally and professionally. I'm so grateful to Queen's for their incredible support throughout the programme. This win is a huge step forward for Dainty Grace — and small-chested women everywhere!”

Sarah was one of five Queen’s-led ventures selected as national finalists — an impressive showing that reflects the strength and ambition of women entrepreneurs within our innovation community. Other award-winning Queen’s teams included:

• 2nd Place (£7,000) – RoutineRoo, Pauline Timoney

• 3rd Place (£5,000) – INNOVAscope, Rachel Small

• 1st Runner-Up (£1,500) – Iaso Solutions, Ciara Reynolds

• 2nd Runner-Up (£1,500) – SeeMe, Mary Blake

We’re also delighted to recognise additional achievements by members of the Queen’s cohort:

• Special Recognition: Catherine Sinnamon (LIVE Technologies Ltd)

• Joint Leadership Coaching: Méabh McCaffrey-Lau (Future Ready Lab) and Ruchira Rangaprasad (Balantra)

• Joint Business Coaching: Michael Elizabeth Gasior (Kynder Studios) and Riya Sanjay Anandpara (Aapta Nutrifoods)

WE Innovate National was launched this year to address the gender gap in entrepreneurship, expanding Imperial’s long-running WE Innovate programme into a national initiative. Queen’s was selected as one of five founding delivery partners alongside Imperial, Swansea, Glasgow and Durham.

Sharon Morgan-Young, Interim Head of Innovation Programmes at Queen’s, commented:

“WE Innovate has been a truly rewarding programme to be part of. It’s helped us champion women-led innovation in Northern Ireland and build lasting networks across the UK. Huge congratulations to Sarah and all our finalists — their achievements are a credit to Queen’s and an inspiration to future founders.”

The final, held at Imperial’s South Kensington campus, featured pitches to a panel of high-profile judges including investors, founders and the CEO of UKRI, Dame Ottoline Leyser. A keynote was delivered by Dame Alison Rose DBE, former CEO of NatWest Group.

A huge thank you to all staff, mentors, and supporters who helped guide our first Queen’s cohort through the programme.