Innovation, sustainability and social impact were the overriding themes of the 2024 IGNITE student entrepreneur awards.
Start-ups working on innovation, sustainability and social impact featured strongly in the 2024 cohort of UCC IGNITE start-ups.
PrimaHealth, creators of a platform supporting adolescent mental health, emerged as the winner of the Bank of Ireland/IGNITE Best Business Award.
“We are always amazed at the achievements of the participants on the IGNITE programme and we wish them great success as they grow and nurture their business ideas”
Ailis Crowley of FASH Forward, winner of Local Enterprise Office/IGNITE Best Business Plan Award. She also the winner of the IGNITE Best Pitch Award.
The start-ups are working on innovative new products and services in the areas of water conservation, waste and the circular economy, mental health and wellbeing and recruitment and productivity.
IGNITE 2024 finalists
- Ailis Crowley of FASH Forward: FASH Forward is on a mission to save one million items from landfill by 2030. The company is networking with sustainability experts to host workshops for organisations to develop the necessary skills to repair, recycle and upcycle fashion items including clothes, footwear and jewellery.
- Elaine Moynihan & Katie McShane of WiseWater: WiseWater is an educational project designed for primary and post-primary students. Through engaging interactive activities and multisensory experiments, students discover the vital connection between preserving our water environment and nurturing our personal well-being.
- Jerome Pan of TalentCen: TalentCen is a central hub that connects job seekers and companies in a dynamic, engaging, and innovative way. Moving away from the traditional resume system, TalentCen offers gamified assessments that make the process more interactive and provide a more accurate representation of a person’s skills and potential.
- Danny McEnery of PrimaHealth: PrimaHealth is a trusted adolescent mental health care provider for teenagers aged 12-19 years. PrimaHealth’s dedicated team of mental health professionals offer reliable online assessment and care nationwide, collaborating closely with parents when guiding adolescents through their challenges.
Entrepreneurial journey
“Our finalists this evening have created exciting new businesses that will improve the lives of so many people and we wish them all the very best of luck as they continue on their entrepreneurial journey,” said IGNITE director Eamon Curtin.
The IGNITE Awards and Showcase event provides a unique opportunity for startups to garner recognition and network with industry professionals, investors, and fellow entrepreneurs.
IGNITE is based at UCC and is open to anyone who has graduated from a third level institution in recent years and has the passion and ambition to work on an idea that has the potential for economic, environmental or social impact.
The programme is funded by University College Cork, Bank of Ireland, the three Local Enterprise Offices of Cork City, South Cork and North & West Cork, Cork City Council and Cork County Council.
The awards were determined by an adjudication panel of Aileen Broderick, Manager at Bank of Ireland; Helen Murphy of Local Enterprise Office Cork City and Pat Lynch, Entrepreneur and Investor.
“Bank of Ireland are delighted to support IGNITE at University College Cork,” Broderick said. “We are always amazed at the achievements of the participants on the IGNITE programme and we wish them great success as they grow and nurture their business ideas.”
Sean O’Sullivan, Local Enterprise Office South Cork, added: “Congratulations to all the participants on the IGNITE programme who showcased their ideas this evening. The Local Enterprise Offices are pleased to partner with University College Cork in delivering IGNITE and we at the LEOs look forward to continuing to support many of the start-ups into the future.”
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