| 14 New South East Entrepreneurs Supported by Enterprise Ireland/ South East BIC |
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On Monday the 25th June the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mr Richard Bruton TD unveiled the 14 successful winners of Enterprise Ireland’s €200K Pilot Competitive Feasibility Fund aimed at stimulating start ups and creating jobs in the South East. South East BIC are managing the programme on behalf of Enterprise Ireland.
The fund, which was launched earlier this year as part of the Government’s South East Employment Action Plan, offered funding of up to €25,000 to support entrepreneurs explore the feasibility of start-up ideas with job-creating potential in the South East region. Companies in the ICT, industrial and food sectors based in Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny and South Tipperary were eligible to apply.  The range of start-up ideas selected for support cover a range of sectors including food, renewable energy, medical devices, mobile payments, LED lighting, software, life sciences. Enterprise Ireland is now working closely with the entrepreneurs to help them develop the potential of their start-up ideas. Making the announcement as he met the winners in Waterford today Minister Bruton said: “Key to addressing the employment crisis in Ireland and in the South East is building a strong engine of indigenous enterprise. Foreign direct investment will continue to play a hugely important role in our economy, and we must continually seek to increase the range of multinational companies investing in Ireland and also increase the impact they have on our economy. But we must also crucially seek to ensure that we have more indigenous companies starting-up, succeeding, expanding, exporting, and ultimately creating jobs.  “Today’s announcement that 14 dynamic, innovative start-up companies, based in the South East and operating in key growth sectors, will have access to funding of up to €25,000 each is very welcome news. By continuing to support companies like these, and by implementing other measures in the Action Plan for Jobs, I am determined to ensure that we build powerful indigenous businesses and create the jobs we need”. Enterprise Ireland’s Regional Manager Enda McDonnell added: “We are delighted with the success to-date of this pilot fund, which enabled us to identify these exciting entrepreneurial ideas. The 14 ideas are based in an impressive variety of high-value, innovative sectors and the ideas are developing well in the workshops and mentoring we are conducting with the promoters.  The success of this pilot is proof positive of the entrepreneurial potential that exists in the South East and throughout Ireland.”     Below is a list of the 14 successful winners of the Pilot Competitive Feasibility Fund for the South East Region Aidan Kenny - Kilkenny Instant Opinion Ltd Instant Opinion provides customers with a way to provide real-time actionable feedback to service providers while they are still experiencing the service so that service providers rectify any issues before customers have finished their service journey. Clare Hughes, Louise Grubb - Waterford Development of a medical device for treatment of infantile colic. Patrick O’Brien & John Ryan - Waterford Geniu & A-Ray Ireland Ltd To investigate the setting up a Waterford based joint venture company with Geniu & A-Ray Co. Japan, to manufacturing, market and further developing their Patented new generation F-LED Lighting systems and controls. Fergal Conway & Jim Doyle - Kilkenny Provision of managed services software to utility companies (UPC). Developing the software for the export market, where UPC has a presence.  Alan Forbes - Wexford Brooklyn Technologies Ltd Mobile payment specialists, to retro fit on street parking machines with a device that allows a person to text to pay for their parking ticket with no pre-registration and payment directly from the users’ phone bill or credit. Aidan Clancy - Kilkenny Pulmeze Ltd New treatment for respiratory diseases (CF, Ventilator Acquired Pneumonia - VAP, Sinusitis, etc. Sean Donnelly - Waterford Easy Wind Energy Ltd Low-cost, scalable vertical wind turbines. Ciaran Geoghegan - Waterford Molecular diagnostics R&D facility and commercial service laboratory for specialist molecular / biomarker testing to European Hospitals and clinics. George Banks - Waterford The Packaging Hub Ltd Premium packaging and logistics solutions service provider. Fold-flat high end box design for the food and drink industry. Paul Kinsella - Waterford Sunrise Innovations Ltd Waste management software. Adapting existing waste management information software for the North American Market. David Scrivens - Wexford Examine the costs of converting waste liquid yeast into dried Brewer’s Yeast suitable for animal and human feed and nutrition. Declan Crosse - Tipperary Wood Energy Solutions t/a Suirvale Developments Ltd Biomass boiler manufacturer, Manufacturing and secure approvals for a 25kW boiler, developing relationships with key installers in UK. Tim Counihan - Waterford Examine the feasibility of setting up a sea salt manufacturing business in Dunmore East, to supply the European export market. John Geary - Waterford Meadowfresh Foods Examine the feasibility of establishing a potato starch manufacturing plant for the food and non-food industry. Source: Enterprise Ireland |