The Winner Takes It All - Business Competition
14 March 2017
For only the second time the DkIT/DCU New Frontiers Programme will host a business pitch competition when 5 finalists will go head to head to determine who will win a €12,000 prize fund.
Over the past 12 months each finalist has set out to create and grow their own business. Some have given up a full time job in the process. They’ve received a lot of support along the way from Enterprise Ireland, the Local Enterprise Offices, the Regional Development Centre (RDC) in DkIT and from Invent DCU. But now it all comes down to a 5 minute pitch and the chance to pick up the “winner takes all” prize sponsored by AIB, PKF-FPM and Bridgewater.
To reach the final they’ve already beaten off the challenge from 45 other start-ups from all over the North East region.
The finalists are:
Damian Clarke, Co-Founder of Kookee
KooKee is a Dundalk based food producer that manufactures cookies and cookie dry mixtures. Their product range includes standard and also gluten, wheat and dairy free lines. Kookee is managed by husband and wife team, Damian and Pauline Clarke and currently supplies their products throughout the North East. Damian has over 15 years sales and distribution experience and also co-founded a previous start-up. (www.kookee.ie)
Amanda Kierans, founder Rain & Conker
Dundalk based Rain and Conker is a modern, design led family brand focusing on designing, manufacturing and supplying practical and trendy baby products and accessories which are retailed direct and through selected retailers in Ireland and the UK. Amanda has over 12 years’ experience in marketing/sales management, project management and business development roles. Rain and Conker is her first start-up. (www.rainandconker.com).
Fran Mc Keown, Irish Microgreens
Irish Microgreens supply a range of fresh produce to retail and food service markets. Their produce is grown in a completely controlled environment in Co. Meath that is not affected by the weather allowing Irish Microgreens to guarantee a reliable and consistent product offering year round without exception
Fran’s professional background is in sales. An entrepreneur at heart he has been trading for 12 months supplying large fresh produce distributors and restaurants in the North East. Fran is a keen sportsman and competitive Mixed Martial Artist. (www.irishmicrogreens.ie)
David Moore, Viska Systems
Drogheda based Viska Systems provides complete systems solutions for customised CE compliant manufacturing and metrology systems for the medical device, pharmaceutical, electronics, and research industries. Applying scientific level know-how and high-accuracy expertise to engineer next-generation manufacturing and metrology solutions, Viska specialise in high-accuracy motion control and high-magnification machine vision.
David Moore is Managing Director of Viska Systems, the company he founded in 2015, and operates with customers from SME to multi-national scale, both in Ireland and the UK. David is passionate about the development of new technologies and has completed a PhD in the areas of micro-manufacturing and metrology. (www.viska.ie)
Jean Jacques Perignon, Innovo Systems
Cavan based Innovo Systems designs and develops contemporary and innovative shower enclosures for the Irish and European marketplace. Their unique and eco-friendly designs have eliminated many of the traditional, and costly, issues such as product storage and spare part management for distributors, provide a simple one person installation solution yet are highly functional and aesthetically pleasing for the end user.
Jean Jacques is a highly experienced sales and marketing director in the European shower enclosure market. Extremely well networked, Jean Jacques is well connected with the Head Buyers of numerous large retailers DIY and Distributors across Europe.
We would like to wish each of the finalists the best of luck in the competition and continued success in their business.
Garrett Duffy