Ireland’s leading provider of solar electricity and a company that sells flowers have won €20,000 each and a chance to share in a total prize fund of €280,000 after clinching the Dublin regional titles in InterTradeIreland’s Seedcorn Business Competition 08.
Cool Power Products of Blackrock, winner of the Emerging International Company category, has been working with solar electricity technology for over a decade and were the first company to install a ‘grid connected’ system in Ireland.
Their key product is called EMMA (Energy and Micro-generator Manager), which makes solar electricity and other micro-generators more efficient to use, heralding a new generation of smart energy management for users and producers of renewable energy.
Flowers Made Easy of Sandyford, winner of the Emerging Company category, launched in January of this year and sells flowers and associated products to consumers, corporate customers and florists. They now plan to sell flowers internationally through FlowersMadeEasy.com
Both companies 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.
Liam Nellis, chief executive of InterTradeIreland, the all-island trade and business development 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, Seedcorn Programme Manager, said: “Both these companies are very different, yet each possesses qualities which could make them highly attractive to investors - a unique offering with the potential for fast growth and high returns.”
Cool Power and Flowers Made Easy will be joined at the finals by six other regional winners, representing Munster, Northern Ireland and Connacht, to vie for the all-island titles.
ENDS
Notes to Editor:
Further information from Shelley Moore, InterTradeIreland, tel +0044 28 3083 4100 or Janet Devlin of Davidson Cockcroft Ltd, tel +0044 78 2818 6745.
• Contacts: Cool Power – Tom Bean, tel: 0121 08344; Flowers Made Easy – Eamonn Grant, tel: 0121 76100.
• An additional prize, of €10,000, will go to the best venture stemming from a university spinout or platform programme.
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REGIONAL FINALISTS
AltaScience, Citywest, Dr Robert Perryman, tel 0140 35460.
AltaScience was founded in 2006 to develop an innovative implantable medical device to achieve permanent female sterilisation. The device works by sealing the fallopian tube, preventing sperm from fertilising the egg. The product is targeting a $1bn market in the US and EU.
Aquaduct Investments International, Ballsbridge, Kieran Mckenna, tel 087 2818701.
Are working in the bottled water cooler industry, using advances in environmentally friendly recyclable bag in box (BIB) packaging to address both the issue of excessive plastic use of inefficient logistics. Aqueduct has combined the advantages of BIB with specifically designed dispensers to offer a complete ‘turnkey’ package, from plant specification, installation and training through to specific packaging and dispenser design, manufacture and supply worldwide.
CandidatesDirect, Eastwall Road, Ken Cahill, tel 0152 42266.
Is an innovative web-based recruitment and candidate management system designed to help organisations of any size streamline and automate their recruitment process – particularly during the Credit Crunch, when prospective employers are trying to handle unprecedented levels of applications. The CandidatesDirect system helps organisations attract, screen, test, recruit and retain quality staff, while dramatically reducing costs and administration.
Q-Validus Ltd, Belfield, David Carpenter, tel 0171 63740.
Based at NovaUCD, this company is an international certification solutions provider working with renowned international awarding bodies and global technology and distribution partners to develop and deliver innovative IT certification programmes which provide practical and collaborative skills appropriate to the evolving workplace. Current certification programmes include Spreadsheet Safe (www.spreadsheetsafe.com) and Computer Wings (www.computerwings.com).