Minister Perry announces 13 successful winners of e200,000 fund to stimulate new start-up activity in the West Region

5th February 2013

5th February 2013: The Minister for Small Business, Mr John Perry TD, today Tuesday unveiled the 13 successful winners of Enterprise Ireland's €200,000 Competitive Feasibility Fund aimed at stimulating start-ups and creating jobs in the West Region.

13 new West Region entrepreneurs supported by Enterprise Ireland

5 February 2013

The Minister for Small Business, Mr John Perry TD, today [Tuesday] unveiled the 13 successful winners of Enterprise Ireland’s €200,000 Competitive Feasibility Fund aimed at stimulating start-ups and creating jobs in the West Region.

The fund, which was launched last September, offered funding of up to €25,000 to support entrepreneurs explore the feasibility of start-up ideas with job-creating potential in the West Region. Entrepreneurs and early stage companies in the ICT, industrial and food sectors based in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon were eligible to apply.

The range of start-up ideas selected for support cover a range of sectors including food, online payments, online learning, educational software, and life sciences.  Enterprise Ireland is now working closely with the entrepreneurs to help them develop the potential of their start-up ideas.

Making the announcement today Minister Perry said:  ‘Key to future success is building a strong engine of indigenous enterprise. We must seek to ensure that we have more indigenous companies starting-up, succeeding, expanding, exporting, and ultimately creating jobs in Ireland.

‘Today’s announcement that 13 dynamic, innovative start-up companies, based in the West and operating in key growth sectors, will have access to funding of up to €25,000 each is very welcome news. By continuing to support entrepreneurs and companies like these, and by implementing other measures in the Action Plan for Jobs, I am determined to ensure that we build powerful indigenous businesses and create the jobs we need’.

Enterprise Ireland’s West Regional Director Barry Egan added: ‘We are delighted with the success to-date of this fund, which enabled us to identify new and exciting entrepreneurial ideas.  The 13 ideas are based in an impressive variety of high-value, innovative sectors led by entrepreneurs seeking to turn their ideas into successful, internationally trading companies. It provides further evidence that the spirit of entrepreneurship is alive and well in the West of Ireland.

‘Enterprise Ireland will be harnessing this spirit and working with these ambitious entrepreneurs to help them turn their ideas into sustainable export focused businesses creating much needed jobs in the West of Ireland’.

ENDS

Further information and photos available from:

Eileen Banks, Press Officer, Enterprise Ireland on 01/7272000.

Margaret Charleton, Enterprise Ireland West Region: Tel: 091 735 900, eMail: margaret.charleton@enterprise-ireland.com

Press Office, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation – Tel + 353 1 6312220.

Note for Editors:

Details of the companies awarded funding under the Enterprise Ireland Competitive Feasibility Fund for the West Region and being announced today are:

Competitive Feasibility Fund for the West Region Winners

ENDS

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