Irish start-up Pharmapod scoops European prize in Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards

18 Oct 2013

Leonora O'Brien has been named European winner of The Global Cartier Women's Initiative Award in Paris, France

Leonora O’Brien, the founder and CEO of the Irish technology start-up Pharmapod, has won the top European prize in The Global Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, held in Paris, France.

Last June, Pharmapod, and O’Brien, was selected as one of the 18 Cartier finalists from more than 1,200 applicants spanning the globe.

Pharmapod was one of only three European start-ups nominated and the only Irish start-up on Cartier the final list.

Last night in Paris, one winner was chosen from each of six regions worldwide – Latin America, North America, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Pharmapod was named as the ‘Laureate for Europe’.

O’Brien and the Pharmapod crew have developed a platform to enable knowledge sharing amongst pharmacists and stakeholders worldwide using cloud based-software.

O’Brien has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for more than 15 years. Last year, she decided to become an entrepreneur, as she had an idea to merge digital with the pharma sector.

She left her job at the Pharmacy Regulator to devote herself to the Pharmapod project full time.

Pharmapod then did a three-month stint on the LaunchPad programme at the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) digital start-up accelerator in Dublin, Ireland.

Pharmapod is now an Enterprise Ireland high-potential start-up.Featured on Siliconrepublic.com in the past few months for its innovation to bring pharmacies into the digital age, Pharmapod will now glean a business support package to the tune of US$20,000.

This package will also comprise one year of coaching, networking opportunities and media exposure.

Women Invent Tomorrow is Silicon Republic’s year-long campaign to champion the role of women in science, technology,engineering and maths

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

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