Typetec and Microsoft call on Irish start-ups for €25,000 competition

16 Apr 2021

Mark Fitzgerald, COO of Typetec. Image: Typetec

A new start-up competition aims to drive Irish innovation, offering the winner support across technology, marketing and more.

Irish start-ups can now apply for a new national competition hosted by IT and cybersecurity provider Typetec with Microsoft Ireland. The companies will award one winning start-up a €25,000 technology fund, including hardware and cloud technology from Microsoft, as well as professional services and marketing support.

The evaluation criteria will focus on each start-up’s strategy, scale of innovation and technical roadmap. Only start-ups registered in Ireland will qualify and they’ll need to have at least five permanent employees.

A judging panel with Typetec chief revenue officer Ken Tormey, Microsoft for Startups Europe manager Kelvin Keane and Vuzion country manager Kieran McDonnell will assess the candidates.

Typetec COO Mark Fitzgerald said the impacts of the pandemic on Ireland’s business community were the motivation behind the competition. “For start-ups, the past 12 months haven’t exactly provided fertile ground for growth.

“A vibrant indigenous start-up space is so crucial to the spectre of innovative solutions needed to drive the digital transformation efforts of Irish business, which is why we’ve set out a €25,000 fund for eligible start-ups – to help them innovate at pace, and with confidence.

“When you are running full tilt in the maelstrom that is a start-up, business owners need reassurance that the fundamentals of their business operations are solid. Central to that is their technology stack and its associated set-up and security.”

Global field lead for Microsoft for Startups, Andrew Macadam, added that the group is hoping to help start-ups “scale and deliver innovative solutions that will undoubtedly expedite the digital transformation agenda within the Irish business community”.

The deadline for applications for Typetec and Microsoft’s competition is Friday 14 May. Start-up can apply here.

Lisa Ardill was careers editor at Silicon Republic until June 2021

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