CO LOUTH COMPANIES CLINCH SEEDCORN REGIONAL TITLES

Regional finalists from Galway and Kildare lose out to Mcor and SOTA



Two Co Louth companies – one from Ardee, the other from Drogheda – have taken a bite out of a total prize fund of €280,000 after clinching  regional titles in the Seedcorn  Business Competition 08.



Mcor Technologies from Ardee,  and SOTA Orthopaedics from Drogheda,  have won €20,000 each in the Connacht regional finals, after triumphing in the Emerging International Company and the Emerging Company categories respectively. They are now in line to win the top prizes of €100,000 (EIC) and €50,000 (EC) at the all-island final in Belfast on November 27.



Mcor develop and manufacture 3D printers - their Mcor Matrix yields physical 3D objects from digital data. They are the only 3D printer manufacturer of this technology in Europe and have developed the only 3D printer in the world to use ordinary/recycled paper.



SOTA have created X-Bolt, an expandable bolt to replace standard screws in hip fractures in elderly patients with osteoporotic bone.  The bolt could save the health service money by reducing the cut-out rate for hip screws -  even a  1% cut could save E2m a year.



Liam Nellis, chief executive of InterTradeIreland, the all-island business and trade organisation which runs Seedcorn, said:  “Ireland is rightly renowned for its spirit of entrepreneurship and these are two very worthy regional winners.



“We know taking part in Seedcorn will give them, as well as all the other entrants, access to invaluable advice from some of Ireland’s top investment experts, helping them to raise investment and accelerate the growth of their businesses.”



Grainne Lennon, InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Programme Manager, said: “So often, small businesses feel they don’t have a chance in business competitions, but Mcor and SOTA have proved that size doesn’t matter when it comes to developing brilliant ideas.”



Mcor and SOTA will be joined at the finals by six other regional winners winners, representing Dublin, Northern Ireland and Munster, to vie for the all-island titles.