David Carey , Innovante Foods Ltd named as Kildare’s best young entrepreneur and wins investment of €20,000
David Carey of Innovante Foods Ltd, Celbridge has been named as KIldare’s best young entrepreneur, and has won an investment of €20,000, as part of the €2million Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur competition.
Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur is an integral part of the Action Plan for Jobs 2014 and is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through the Local Enterprise Offices.
At a function at Kildare County Council on Thursday 9th October, awards were made for Kildare’s best start-up, the best new idea, and the best add-on to an existing business, as well as an overall award for the best young entrepreneur in the county, and the winners and investments won were as follows:
Best New Idea : Seanan O’Riordan from Ballymore Eustace who hopes to manufacture a higher performance suspension spring for the Mountain bike market. Seanan won an award of up to €10,000 .
Best new business : David Carey , Innovante Foods Ltd who produce Irelands newest vitamin drink , V24. David has been awarded an investment of up to €20,000 in addition to being named Kildare’s Best Young Entrepreneur .
Runner –up in the existing business category was Ferghal O’Reilly of Shalford Interiors who designs & manufactures high quality, bespoke kitchens and furniture and received an award of €5,000.
Best Existing Business : William Ganly, C&G Engineering Ltd , Clane who have secured an award of up to €20,000 towards the development of a new specialist product for the mining industry
The three category winners will now go through to regional finals in Mullingar where they will compete for the right to go through to the national finals and ultimately compete for the award of being named Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur at a ceremony on 6th December
Marking the occasion, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD said:
“Central to our plans for jobs and growth is supporting more businesses to start-up. Two thirds of all new jobs are created by start-ups, so if we are to create the jobs we need we must support more entrepreneurs to start new businesses. That is why we put in place the entrepreneurship forum chaired by Sean O’Sullivan and that is why we established the Local Enterprise Offices to provide more and better Government supports to businesses in one easily-accessible place at local level.
“Part of this plan is also fostering a stronger culture of entrepreneurship and promoting start-up business as a career option for young people. That is what is behind this new competition to find the best young entrepreneur in County Kildare, also ultimately Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur. We have excellent start-ups and entrepreneurs in Ireland – we just don’t have enough of them. It is great to see so many excellent entrepreneurs and business-people in Kildare getting involved in this competition, and I am delighted to congratulate the winners .I wish all three businesses every success in the later stages of the competition – and wish all participants every success as they grow their businesses and contribute to the job-creation we need”.
Speaking at the awards, Head of Enterprise at Kildare County Council, Mary Fitzpatrick, said ’I am delighted at the quality and calibre of all our participants . We in the Local Enterprise Office will continue to support every one of the businesses in whatever way we can and we wish them every success in the future’
