This was a bumper week for recognising Irish entrepreneurs, both established businesses and student entrepreneurs. The overall title for National Enterprise Awards went to Offaly Company Applied Concepts, while the top award of College Entrepreneur of the Year was awarded to Vincent Forde, a student from CIT, for his project Gasgon Medical.
Read on for more on this year's winners....
€40,000 overall prize fund
Set up nearly two decades ago, the National Enterprise Awards has a prize fund of €40,000, with the overall winner receiving €10,000 to invest in their business.
This year, eight finalists were whittled down from 32 nominees, representing each of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) across every county in Ireland. Technology, manufacturing, food, on-line and energy businesses dominated this year’s list of finalists.
Minister Mitchell O' Connor, Mark Clendennen of Applied Concepts, and Orla Martin of the Local Enterprise Office Offaly
The top prize this year went to Applied Concepts, an Offaly-based manufacturer and exporter of blast machines used by builders and restoration companies. The company, which employs 10 people, began trading in 2010. Its machines are used in building and restoration projects in countries such as Finland, Estonia, Venezuela and Ethiopia.
In total, 13 awards were presented, including eight new regional awards which were introduced this year. The other major category winners presented at the National Enterprise Awards were:
- Best Exporter: CarveOn from Kildare
- Best Start-up: Global Sauces from Limerick
- Innovation Award: Invizbox Ltd from Fingal in Dublin
National Enterprise Awards category winners: InvizBox; CarveOn; and Global Sauces
CarveOn, based in Kildare, was set up by two brothers, Alan and Garry McCormack, and its customised leather accessories are exported to 50 countries. Global Sauces in Limerick is headed up by Liam Hayes and Vincent Sheahan and the company manufactures 34 different varieties of sauces for the food industry. In Fingal, Invizbox was founded by Paul Canavan, Chris Monks and Elizabeth Canavan; their hardware devices keep customers in more than 60 countries more secure online.
All winners were among the thousands of small businesses supported by the network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices last year. The National Enterprise Awards were set up to celebrate the achievements of Ireland’s micro-enterprise sector and previous winners have included Irish Yogurts from West Cork, Hot Irishman Irish Coffee (Walsh Whiskey Distillery) from Carlow and DesignPro from Limerick.
Check out the full list of awards and winners.
€35,000 in cash prizes and €30,000 in consultancy fees for Student Entrepreneur Awards winners
Vincent Forde, a student from CIT, has won the Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award and been named ‘College Entrepreneur of the Year 2016’. The winning entrant beat off stiff competition from over 500 submissions from third level students with his project ‘Gasgon Medical’, which aims to deliver unique and innovative medical devices to improve patient safety and support medical professionals during common procedures. The company was founded when doctors from Cork University Hospital highlighted the valuable staff time that was being wasted while setting up and monitoring IV procedures.
The Student Entrepreneur Awards are part of a major drive aimed at encouraging students to start their own business as a career option. The substantial prize fund includes €35,000 in cash prizes and €30,000 in consultancy fees which are available for winners to help them turn their idea into a commercial reality. In addition to winning the top prize, the winning team will also receive mentoring from Enterprise Ireland to develop the commercial viability of their overall concept.
This year celebrates the 35th year of these prestigious awards which are co-sponsored by Cruickshank Intellectual Property Attorneys, Intel and Grant Thornton and are open to all third level colleges across Ireland.
For more information
Further information around the supports available to small businesses is available through www.localenterprise.ie.