Previous Propel participants Janette O'Hagan, co-founder and CEO of Okotech, and Fergus Wallace, founder of Mygripzone.com
Invest Northern Ireland (NI) is now seeking applications from entrepreneurs with business ideas for new ventures for its Propel programme that will run in 2013.
In the past three years, more than 30 self-starters have participated in Propel, which aims to help self-starters scale their businesses and achieve export growth.
Propel targets entrepreneurs who have an idea for a business in the knowledge, engineering or niche manufacturing sectors and who are in the advanced planning stages. According to Invest NI, such business ideas must also have the potential to create jobs within three years.
Companies on the programme get training, workshops, networking opportunities, mentoring, financial support and hot-desk facilities.
Invest NI’s chief executive Alastair Hamilton said Propel offers tailored support to help entrepreneurs through the process of taking an idea and funding its development.
“Feedback from previous participants has been extremely positive and we have seen some very successful businesses emerge from the programme,” he said.
During December, Invest NI will be running seminars in Newry, Omagh, Derry/Londonderry, Ballymena and Belfast to give people more information on the programme and what it entails.
The closing date for applications to Propel is 23 January 2013.
