Fresh search for Best Young Entrepreneurs
THE latest search to find Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) is getting under way in County Wicklow this week, through the Local Enterprise Office Wicklow.
With a €2million investment fund available, including a €50,000 investment fund for Wicklow winners, the enterprise initiative from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Enterprise Ireland attracted 1,400 applications across the country last year and supported over 450 young entrepreneurs through training, mentoring and direct financial assistance.
The Wicklow arm of the initiative is co-ordinated by Wicklow Local Enterprise Office and begins with a nationwide competition across three categories at county level: Best Idea, Best Start-Up Business and Best Established Business. Successful applicants will be invited to ‘Entrepreneur Bootcamps’ in November, to help them develop their business and new venture ideas.
With an investment fund of €50,000, Local Enterprise Office Wicklow will award six investment prizes to three category winners and three runners-up, before the Regional Finals early next year.
The local winners in the Best Start-Up and Best Established Business categories will receive €15,000 each and the two runners-up will each receive €5,000.
The Best Business Idea winner locally will receive an investment prize of €7,000 and the runner-up will receive €3,000.
Sheelagh Daly, Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Wicklow explained said that the investment fund for the Wicklow winners is very important.
‘ The € 50,000 investment fund for County Wicklow winners is a very important part of the competition and will help more young entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and create more jobs here locally. Other business supports, such as management training, networking and one- to- one mentoring are also at the heart of the IBYE competition.
‘ Four- hundred- and- fifty young entrepreneurs benefitted from these business supports last year, so the rewards are there for participants, as well as for the winners. Taking part in IBYE will help Ireland’s young entrepreneurs to move their businesses to the next level, whatever stage their business is at,’ she said.
The competition is now in its third year and last year’s local winners were Ross Lawless, Calt Dynamics in the Best Business Idea category; Michael Carney, Raindrop Drinks in the Best Start-Up Business category and James Keogh, Rathwood in the Best Established Business category. The county’s Best Young Entrepreneur for 2015 was James Keogh, Rathwood.
To enter, young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35 in County Wicklow are being asked to visit the competition website at www.ibye.ie, to submit their entry online.
The closing date to enter is Friday, October 14, and there is no entry fee.