NI startup ESTHER takes flight to New York

by Startacus Admin

Northern Irish tech startup ESTHER, a peer-2-peer giving platform allowing charitable donors to give money directly to people living in poverty in their own city, heads to New York for a 4-day fact finding mission.
The Belfast-based startup won an all-expenses paid trip to New York (taking place 21st - 25th Feb 2020) thanks to their startup pitch competition win at leading 2-day tech event Digital DNA back in June 2019, where they beat 25 other NI startups to the prize.
The ESTHER MVP is live in Belfast, Northern Ireland right now with 250 donors, with recipients receiving donations on their ESTHER card, which is a normal pre-paid card, with limited spend on high risk products such as alcohol, gambling, online purchases and cash withdrawals, ensuring that the donation goes directly into the hands of people in poverty, with the assurance that the help is helping.
Speaking after their win at Digital DNA 2019 about their plans to visit the tech start-up scene in New York, Carol Rossborough – the firm’s Chief Executive – said they will be on a “fact-finding mission” with their visit over to New York.
"There is a real wealth divide in major cities such as New York and San Francisco, so it’s important for us to learn what is happening in the American third sector."
With a focus on Inner City Poverty alleviation and the UN SDGs, the founding team of Carol and Ailis McCaul, will be supported on the visit by Alastair Cameron, Startacus Co-Founder and Digital DNA Startup Programme Manager, and the team of three will be spending time understanding the New York startup and investor ecosystem and attending a number of meetups and socials.
We look forward to following ESTHER’s journey in New York (21st - 25th Feb 2020) and keep an eye on Startacus' Twitter feed during the week, where we will be asking team ESTHER to update us all on their progress.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Week Gen-C is a week long calendar of events focused on entrepreneurship and careers, aimed at helping young people affected by the covid pandemic in the North West of NI

Leading startup community, YSYS launch 4 days of innovative online conversations and a range of new initiatives with the core theme of “Access”

Jean Gamester from Toastmasters International shares her tips on bringing back some of that old normal and staying fabulously virtually connected

Planning to launch a fashion brand this year? Here are a few basic tips that will help you do just that and get your business off to the right start

Bippit is an online platform and app that helps companies to support the financial needs of their employees - not just via their salary

2021 may be a challenging time to start a business, but these tips should help you get it right...

Startacus and Hatch Enterprise celebrate International Women’s Day by partnering with NetMinds to bring together female founders for a virtual speed networking event

Keeping customers engaged is vital for any small business - these basic tips will help you do just that

Alchemy Technology Services, the Derry-based centre of excellence for insurance software implementation receives recognition for its commitment to diversity

For the first time ever, the Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge has both a British winner and runner up in the form of innovative startups SoluBlue and Jiva Materials
Published on: 16th January 2020
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- Week Gen-C to offer career and entrepreneurship respite to pandemic-hit youth 1st Mar 2021 Week Gen-C is a week long calendar of events focused on entrepreneurship and careers, aimed at helping young people affected by the covid pandemic in the North West of NI
- #YSYSAccessWeek: Building a diverse, inclusive and accessible tech startup ecosystem 28th Feb 2021 Leading startup community, YSYS launch 4 days of innovative online conversations and a range of new initiatives with the core theme of “Access”
- Startacus and Hatch Enterprise offer speed networking IWD-inspired event 24th Feb 2021 Startacus and Hatch Enterprise celebrate International Women’s Day by partnering with NetMinds to bring together female founders for a virtual speed networking event
- Alchemy Technology Services receives Bronze Diversity Mark NI Award 23rd Feb 2021 Alchemy Technology Services, the Derry-based centre of excellence for insurance software implementation receives recognition for its commitment to diversity