County’s Best Young Entrepreneurs Win €50,000 Investment
- 1st October 2015
PHOTO:
(L-R) Timothy (HousemyDog), Curtis Moran (Rook) and Peter Roberts (Roberts of Dalkey) winners at the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown county finals of Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur 2015 competition pictured with Cllr. Barry Saul, An Cathaoirleach, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
Three of the County’s best young entrepreneurs have won a total investment of €50,000 through the Local Enterprise Office Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, as part of the €2 million Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur competition 2015 (#IBYE).
Aimed at young and aspiring entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 30, Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur competition is an integral part of the Action Plan for Jobs and is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through the network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices.
At an evening ceremony in dlr LexIcon on Thursday, 1st October, Cllr. Barry Saul, Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council presented awards to three local entrepreneurs who, along with eleven other business owners, had been shortlisted as county finalists in the competition.
Marking the occasion, An Cathaoirleach commented, “It is heartening to see a growing and vibrant community of young entrepreneurs locally. Through Business Bootcamps, mentoring and general business advice, the Local Enterprise Office plays a vital role in supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs, on a year-round basis.”
Curtis Moran, founder of Rook, a location-based mobile ‘app’ which offers free access to eBooks, won the Best Business Idea award and a cash investment of €10,000.
Timothy McElroy won the Best Business Start-Up award and a €20,000 cash investment for housemydog.com, an online service connecting dog owners with vetted dog sitters across Ireland & the UK.
The best established Business award went to Peter Roberts, owner of Roberts of Dalkey, an expanding seafood retail and wholesale business. Curtis Moran of Rook was also named as Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown‘s “Best Young Entrepreneur”.
All three winners will now represent Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown at the Dublin regional finals taking place on 4th November in the Conrad Hotel, Dublin 2. A total of 24 finalists will then compete at the Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur National Finals in December.
Eibhlin Curley, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, paid tribute to the young entrepreneurs in the county, saying “We will also be working closely with this year’s IBYE winners, to help maximise the return on the €50,000 investment that they have been awarded.”
This year’s judging panel members - Dr. Therese Moylan of the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Anthony Quigley of the Digital Marketing Institute and Local Enterprise Office business mentor Clara Clark - were thanked for their role in the local competition.