business-startup.ie

19 award-winning students, who beat off competition at the National Finals of the Student Enterprise Awards, have secured places at the first ever “Winners’ Bootcamp” in the Nexus Innovation Centre at the University of Limerick this summer. The inaugural four day business bootcamp runs from 4^th to 7^th June and is sponsored by Ulster Bank. The group of teenagers will receive mentoring from experienced entrepreneurs, as well as critical feedback from peers and experts. Sessions range from advice on delivering a business pitch that’s got the “Wow” factor to business development and teambuilding activity.

Small businesses have been hardest hit by the recession, often relying on local demand for their goods and services. While these organisations are the backbone of our economy, in order to grow, the cross-border market should be considered as their first natural export prospect and they need to have a clear export strategy in place to take advantage of this opportunity. InterTradeIreland’s Elevate programme, launched in 2011, was specifically designed to help local micro-enterprises identify and develop cross-border sales opportunities. 

InterTradeIreland is calling on new start-ups and early stage companies to enter the island’s largest business competition, the InterTradeIreland all-island Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition. The new look competition, which has a cash prize fund of €280,000 with no equity stake, aims to transform equity raising businesses into first-class investor ready companies. Now in its 11th year, the competition has supported 1,645 enterprising companies, with the companies that have made it through to the regional finals successfully raising €165m in new funds.

Small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in the food industry are gathering in Thurles on Tuesday, May 14^th, for the second annual ‘Who to talk to’ expo. Organised by the North Tipperary County Development Board, the free afternoon event at the Thurles Chamber Enterprise Centre will be officially opened by well-known restaurant critic and journalist, Tom Doorley.

A Dublin-based digital marketing consultancy was awarded the County Enterprise Award for Dún Laoghaire Rathdown last Thursday night and will go forward to represent the county at the National Awards Finals in Dublin Castle this November. SiliconCloud, founded by Patrick Murphy, creates custom online sales and marketing strategies for clients in the US, South Africa and Ireland. The company, which began life in 2009, now employs six full-time at its offices in Sandyford Business Park.