IBYE County Finals Night
Following on from a successful campaign during the summer months with over 40 applications, the Local Enterprise Office in Wexford County Council are delighted to announce the winners of the County Finals of Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur: Diarmaid Ó Súilleabháin, Ian Coleman and Richard Murphy. Speaking at the awards ceremony which took place on Wednesday, September 30th, in Wexford County Council, An Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Cllr. Tony Dempsey congratulated the winners saying “the commitment and drive of these early stage entrepreneurs are outstanding examples of enterprise in Wexford and we wish them well at the Regional Finals in Kilkenny on the 19th October”. He also presented certificates to the other eight finalists who were put through their paces last week when they pitched their businesses to a panel of three judges.
The 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 Enterprise Ireland.
The competition was divided into three categories – Best Idea, Best Start-up, Best Established Business and an investment fund of €50,000 was made available through the Local Enterprise Office for the three category winners. The winner of the Best Idea category was Richard Murphy who impressed the judges with his business ‘MyMoodandMe’ which is an online health and holistic platform. The winner of the ‘Best Start-up’ category was 2014 IBYE National Finalist, Ian Coleman from Clonard. Ian was a previous county winner in the ‘Best Idea’ category and was the sole Wexford representative at the 2014 National Finals. In the year since, Ian has progressed his idea and his website www.lifebites.ie recently went live. Finally, the ‘Best Established Business’ trophy went to from D O Sullivan Consulting Engineers. Diarmaid’s company has been in business since 2009 and although they operate out of Gorey they cover most of the eastern part of the country. In wrapping up the ceremony, Tom Banville - Head of Enterprise from the Local Enterprise Office Wexford, paid tribute to all the young entrepreneurs in the region, saying: “As the first stop shop for entrepreneurs and small businesses, 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. 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.”
Next month all three winners will represent Wexford at the Regional Finals which take place on the 19th of October in Kilkenny.
L-R: Deirdre McGing (LEO Wexford), Ian Coleman (Best Start-up), Richard Murphy (Best Idea), Diarmaid Ó Súilleabháin (Best Established Business), Tom Banville and Breege Cosgrave (LEO Wexford)
