Stephen Slattery of Zeto, which won 'Best Business Opportunity' and overall winner of the 2012/2013 New Frontiers programme
Ten new ventures that have completed the latest Enterprise Ireland-led New Frontiers programme at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) showcased their innovations at an awards ceremony last night, with three start-ups scooping awards.
The New Frontiers programme, which is funded by Enterprise Ireland, is run in the Rubicon Centre at CIT. It started last February to replace the Genesis Enterprise Programme, which had helped incubate more than 220 start-ups in the region.
At last night’s showcase, Stephen Slattery of Zeto won ‘Best Business Opportunity’, with the company also being named overall winner of the 2012/2013 New Frontiers programme.
Zeto is designing cloud-based solutions to make refrigeration equipment more energy efficient. The company has developed a refrigeration-monitoring platform to alert users when temperatures fall outside of the required range and to warn of potential equipment failures.
Sarah O’Sullivan from SeaHorse Atlantic won the award for ‘Best Market Opportunity’. The start-up produces kelp supplements from the Atlantic Ocean for horses, cats and dogs. The kelp is organically grown by aquaculture at a seaweed farm where it is manufactured by SeaHorse Atlantic into supplements.
Conor Quigley of Safe Care Technologies
The ‘Most Innovative Business’ award went to Conor Quigley from Safe Care Technologies. The new venture creates software for existing hardware with the aim of helping the disabled, impaired or elderly live a more independent life within their homes.
The other start-ups that participated in the programme were the online and mobile platform Travelbuddy; online contract management tool TrackMySale.com; Telltail, a visual safety device for the automotive industry; and Scribele, a platform for content creators publishing across multiple channels.
Sportswear brand Queen B Athletics; Automated Fire Escapes, which is developing an automated fire-escape system for homes; Divasdeal, an online retailer of used designer handbags; and Cellcrusher, which is making lab tool for scientists, also took part in the programme.
The Minister of State for Research and Innovation Seán Sherlock, TD, launched the new companies at last night’s showcase.
The Rubicon Centre is now recruiting for entrepreneurs to take part in the first phase of the 2013/2014 New Frontiers programme. Successful applicants will each get supports to the value of around €36,000. Companies can apply for the programme online.
