2014 Fingal Enterprise Award and IBYE County winners announced during Enterprise Week
The Local Enterprise Office in Fingal is predicting that 75 new jobs will be created over the next three years by award-winning small businesses in the region.
The announcement was made during Fingal Enterprise Week, as finalists in the Fingal Enterprise Awards and the inaugural “Best Young Entrepreneur” competition are set to receive awards for enterprise in Malahide this evening.
In total, seventeen businesses will be recognised at tonight’s ‘Success Leaves Clues’ networking event taking place at the Grand Hotel, Malahide, with this year’s Fingal Enterprise Award winner as well as the three category winners in the County’s ‘Best Young Entrepreneur’ competition to be revealed.
The 2014 Fingal Enterprise Award recipient, selected from four finalists, is ‘Motorcheck.ie’, an online supplier of automotive data to consumers and motor related industries, based in Swords, Co. Dublin. Managing Director, Michael Rochford will be presented with the award on the night.
In the Fingal County Finals of the ‘Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur’ competition, three companies have been selected from a panel of 14 finalists with Ben Millett (25) of ‘Stayhold’, a start-up offering a solution for carrying goods safely in the car boot,to be revealed as Fingal’s ‘Best Young Entrepreneur’. Ben will also receive the accolade for ‘Best StartUp Business’. Jospeh Kuye (19) of ‘Touchtech Payments’, an M-Commerce payment processor, is to be awarded ‘Best New Idea’ while Dan Davern (28) owner of ‘DX2 Training’, an online learning management system, wins ‘Best Established Business with new add on’.
Each company will now progress to the next stage of their respective competitions, with ‘Motorcheck’ representing Fingal in the National Enterprise Awards, while ‘Stayhold’, ‘Touchtech Payments’ and ‘DX2 Training’ will participate in the Regional Finals of the ‘Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur’ competition later this month.
Congratulating the winners, Oisin Geoghegan, Head of Fingal Local Enterprise Office said: “The recognition that our winners will receive from these awards and the resulting supports and investment will be invaluable to them, helping to create a solid platform upon which they can further grow and develop their businesses. We are predicting that all these businesses, nominees and winners, will jointly create 75 new jobs for the Capital, with the potential for many more, over the next three years.”
Announced by the Government in May 2014, the Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur competition is run through the Local Enterprise Offices and aims to promote a culture of entrepreneurship among young people. There are three categories in the competition, ‘Best New Idea’, ‘Best Start-Up’ and ‘Best Established Business’ with National Winners as well as ‘Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur’ to be selected following National Finals in December 2015. Further information can be found at www.ibye.ie
Fingal Enterprise Week draws to a close tomorrow (Friday, October 10th) and is supported by Vodafone Ireland, Regus and Bank of Ireland. Details of the remaining events can be downloaded from www.fingalenterpriseweek.ie
ENDS
For all media queries, please contact Engage Ireland: Adrienne Ferguson on 086 355 2974 Tel: 01 4278388 / office@engageireland.com
Advance interviews and picture opportunities are available with Motorcheck, Stayhold, DX2 Training or Touchtech Payments and the organisers of the Fingal Enterprise Awards/IBYE/Fingal Enterprise Week, but please note the embargo of 20.00 on Thursday, October 9th 2014.
Photocall: The organisers of the Fingal Enterprise Awards/IBYE/Fingal Enterprise Week have commissioned Joe Keogh Photography to syndicate images of the winners from the event. Please expect these images on Thursday October 9th from 21.00.
Notes to Editor:
Fingal Enterprise Awards 2014
WINNER: Motorcheck (Benchmark Automotive)Michael Rochford – www.motorcheck.ie (www.benchmark.ie) based in Swords, Co. Dublin
Motorcheck (Benchmark Automotive) was founded in Dublin in Oct 2002 by Michael Rochford and Shane Teskey. It is a provider of technology driven products and services to the Fleet and Automotive Industry and Ireland’s leading supplier of automotive data services to the insurance industry, motor trade and related sectors. It is known primarily through its online brand Motorcheck.ie.
Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur – Fingal County Final
Best Start Up Business and ‘Best Young Entrepreneur’
WINNER: Ben Millett (25) Stayhold Ltd. www.stayhold.com based in Swords, Co. Dublin
Launched in July 2013, this Irish-designed product sticks to the carpet in the car boot and prevents loose objects from rolling around. The company now supplies The Home Depot in the USA along with other retailers / distributors worldwide. Having introduced Stayhold Mini to the product range, the aim is to grow the business by creating sales in other territories while further expanding the product range and establishing the brand as the number one name in car storage solutions. The company has grown significantly over the last year in both sales and forward orders. www.stayhold.com
Best New Idea (Not yet established) Category
WINNER: Joseph Kuye (19) Touchtech Payments from Tyrellstown, Dublin 15
Joseph is from Tyrrellstown and at 19 years old, is a student at Trinity College. Touch Tech is an m-commerce payment processor for mobile shopping applications, that enables consumers who are using these mobile applications to pay for merchandise by simply tapping the back of their phone with their card and entering their pin when prompted to do so. This is beneficial to merchants and banks as a fraudulent transaction can never be made using the system saving them hundreds of millions of potential profit each year that are lost to charge-backs. Touchtech Payments have an office in Launchbox in Trinity College (http://www.launchbox.ie/2014-teams).
Best Established Business with new add on (over 18 months)
WINNER: Dan Davern (28) DX2Training www.dx2training.ie based in Swords, Co. Dublin
Dan has developed an add-on to his existing Health and Safety training, consultancy and supplies business, which comprises a fully 3D animated and customised online learning management system for individual customers. Available in 30 languages and fully exportable, it can be tailored for European and Worldwide markets.