Entrepreneur is ‘pitch perfect’ at leadership conference

Grand prix dressage rider Rachael Coulter has won the Pitch Perfect competition at the IoD Northern Ireland (IoD NI) Women’s Leadership Conference, securing £4,000 in funding for her start-up business that connects horse owners with service providers.
By The Newsroom
Published 31st Mar 2021, 12:00 BST
Equestrian entrepreneur Rachael Coulter has won the Perfect Pitch competition at the IoD Women’s Leadership Conference, securing £4,000 for her start up business Stable Manager, a digital platform connecting horse owners with service providersEquestrian entrepreneur Rachael Coulter has won the Perfect Pitch competition at the IoD Women’s Leadership Conference, securing £4,000 for her start up business Stable Manager, a digital platform connecting horse owners with service providers
Equestrian entrepreneur Rachael Coulter has won the Perfect Pitch competition at the IoD Women’s Leadership Conference, securing £4,000 for her start up business Stable Manager, a digital platform connecting horse owners with service providers

A software engineer turned ardent entrepreneur, Rachael is CEO and founder of Stable Manager, a digital platform which she said offers the perfect technical solution for horse management.

She was one of the six female entrepreneurs to ‘pitch’ for viewer votes during this year’s virtual conference.

Rachael said: “I’m thrilled to have been awarded the Pitch Perfect winner.

“As a software engineer, I’ve spent a lot of time building the product and it really was amazing to get to pitch to the viewers and for them to like what they heard.

“I’ve been involved with horses for over 15 years now, I grew up on Pony Club and now I’m a grand prix dressage rider and I just felt there was really a need for a technical solution to horse management, allowing us to spend more time with our horses and less time stuck in the office.

“The funding and mentoring I will receive is invaluable especially as a young female founder in business and will support my vision of helping bring the equestrian sector into the 21st century and beyond.”

IoD NI national director Kirsty McManus commented:

“Congratulations to Rachael and her fantastic start-up Stable Manager.

“All pitches this year were terrific and are a true reflection of just a few of the amazing female founded enterprises we have here in Northern Ireland.

“During a year of such difficulty for businesses and our local economy, gathering local enterprises together and showcasing their business ventures brings hope as we work towards building our economy post-COVID.”

The conference, held virtually for the first time, was sponsored by Herbert Smith Freehills and took the theme Great Leaders Rise out of Adversity.

A record attendance of up to 1,100 delegates logged on each day.

Speakers included both national and international leaders such as, Dame Stephanie Shirley, Nadiya Hussain, Nagin Cox and Erin Brockovich.