Mayo woman wins major business award
Conor Langford and Ines Obtinalla, Visa with She's Next winner Hannah Joyce (centre).
Visa, a global leader in digital payments, has announced the five female winners of its 2026 She’s Next Grant Programme in Ireland, including Flexera founded by Westport woman, Hannah Joyce.
Aimed at closing the entrepreneurship gap and supporting more women business owners in Ireland, the She’s Next, Empowered by Visa, grant programme awards winners with a total of €90,000 in business funding together with expert coaching, mentorship and additional resources to help their businesses thrive.
Flexera is a premium fitness brand bringing the popular reformer Pilates studio experience into the home. A space-conscious at-home reformer machine is paired with a digital platform featuring live and on-demand classes, personalised programmes, and progress tracking. A rental membership model further lowers entry costs.
Speaking about her win, Hannah Joyce said: “Being named one of this year’s She’s Next Grant programme winners has been fantastic and feels like a further validation of the Flexera business model. Every aspect of this support programme has been invaluable, having the ability to connect with the amazing mentors and female founders who have been where we are going has been hugely insightful.
"Looking ahead, we have ambitious plans for Flexera, including scaling our rental membership and expanding our brand into new markets. This grant is a gamechanger in making those plans a reality.”
Spanning sectors as diverse as food, advocacy, beauty and fitness, the Visa’s 2026 She’s Next Grant Programme winners are: Hannah Joyce, founder of Flexera; Niamh Tallon, co-founder of Her Sport; Nicola Lyons and Elaine Crosse, co-founders of Bánór; Sarah O’Sullivan, founder of SOS Cookies; Sinéad Burke, founder of Tilting the Lens.
This year’s overall winner, Sinéad Burke, founder of Tilting the Lens, was awarded a €50,000 grant, having successfully pitched her business to an independent panel of judges. Each of the four other winners received a €10,000 business grant to help take their next business steps with confidence.
