A Queen’s University Belfast alumna has taken home the top prize at this year’s WE Innovate 2025 Grand Final in London – part of a major new initiative to support women founders across the UK. 

Sarah Greer, a graduate of the MSc in Software Development at Queen’s, secured first place and £15,000 for her startup Dainty Grace, which creates better-fitting lingerie for small-chested women. As overall winner, she also received a legal support package worth £3,000 to help grow the business. 

Sarah’s win marks a significant milestone for Queen’s, as this was the University’s first year taking part in WE Innovate, a flagship entrepreneurship programme previously exclusive to Imperial College London. 

Speaking after the final, 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. Being part of the first Queen's cohort in this national initiative made the experience even more meaningful - and I've grown so much as a founder thanks to the mentorship, encouragement and belief I've received. This win is a huge step forward for Dainty Grace (and small-chested women everywhere!) and I'm so excited for what's next."

Four other Queen’s-led ventures were also recognised in the final, which saw some of the UK’s most promising women entrepreneurs pitch to an expert judging panel that included venture capitalists, tech founders, as well as the CEO of UKRI Dame Ottoline Leyser. The keynote was delivered by Dame Alison Rose DBE, former CEO of NatWest Group. 

• Second place (£7,000) – RoutineRoo, led by Pauline Timoney: An AI-powered visual routine builder for children. 

• Third place (£5,000) – INNOVAscope, led by Rachel Small: A simulation-based training platform for endoscopy procedures. 

• First runner-up (£1,500) – Iaso Solutions, led by Ciara Reynolds: A digital mental health tool for patients and healthcare professionals. 

• Second runner-up (£1,500) – SeeMe, led by Mary Blake: An AI-driven platform to organise and preserve personal memories. 

All five ventures were developed as part of the first-ever WE Innovate National programme, which brought together women-led teams from Queen’s and Imperial for a six-month journey of coaching, mentoring and expert-led masterclasses. 

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

"WE Innovate has been a truly rewarding experience and Queen’s is proud to have supported such a fantastic programme that empowers women in innovation across Northern Ireland. Partnering with Imperial Enterprise Labs has strengthened our innovation community and created invaluable opportunities for women to showcase their talents and ideas. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who submitted an application and congratulate our exceptional finalists and winners - you are leading the way in innovation and inspiring future generations across Northern Ireland and beyond." 

Additional awards for those from Queen’s include a special recognition award for Catherine Sinnamon (LIVE Technologies Ltd), a joint leadership coaching prize for both Méabh McCaffrey-Lau from Future Ready Lab and Ruchira Rangaprasad from Balantra, and a joint award for business coaching for Michael Elizabeth Gasior (Kynder Studios) and Riya Sanjay Anandpara (Aapta Nutrifoods). 

Launched this year, WE Innovate National is designed to address the persistent gender gap in UK entrepreneurship. Queen’s is one of five founding partner universities alongside Imperial, Swansea, Glasgow and Durham. Over 150 women-led teams across the UK will now benefit from the programme each year. 

To find out more about enterprise and entrepreneurship opportunities at Queen’s, visit: go.qub.ac.uk/Enterprise  

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