Deirdre Cogan, co-founder, EZY Technology Innovations
EZY Technology Innovations, a new company set up by a brother and sister to research and develop new agricultural machinery equipment, has won the 2012 JumpStart competition that’s run by the Learning and Innovation Centre (LINC) at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown.
Deirdre Cogan, an accountant, and her brother Thomas Carpenter, a machine inventor, founded the company in 2010 to research, develop and manufacture new agricultural machinery.
So far, EZY Technology Innovations has developed the EZY Crop, a non-tipping trailer and the EZY Fill, a bulk filler. Both products were presented to the judges at the finals of the JumpStart competition.
Entrepreneur and Insomnia coffee chain chairman Bobby Kerr, one of the judges, gave his impression of the company. “This was about a new business developing innovative products in agriculture and manufacturing, two things that Ireland desperately needs,” he said.
The runner-up prize was awarded to Willstream Labs. The company was set up in 2011 to enable migrants around the world to take control of their finances and remittances in the payments space by connecting them directly with businesses in emerging markets.
The other shortlisted companies in the JumpStart final were Cypro Software, uTRAC, Chillicam and Jamworld Technologies.
The JumpStart prize fund was worth more than €25,000. For winning the competition, EZY Technology Innovations will get a €5,000 cash prize, incubation space at LINC for 12 months, plus mentoring.
