Cleidi Hearn of Sunny Numbers was named best business at the annual awards and showcase for University College Cork's (UCC) Ignite graduate business programme for entrepreneurs and start-ups on Thursday evening.
Hearn was recognised for her work in establishing the e-learning platform, which is powered by peer support that helps to build data skills for people working with statistics.
Luke Murphy of Training Reels, a self-service video studio located in enterprise centres, which has been described as a "photo booth for marketing videos," won best business plan, and Monika Wojtek of Buildzon, an online building materials platform, won best pitch.
Attendees of the event heard start-up pitches from campus companies that have just completed the Ignite programme, with 20 start-up founders taking part.
"We’re delighted to have this opportunity to showcase the founders who are working full-time on their start-up ideas with the support of Ignite, said Eamon Curtin, director of Ignite.
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"We are especially pleased to also highlight the wide range of start-up supports available at UCC such as our short part-time programme, Start-Up Lab, and our hackathon, Ideas for Impact.”
Pat Healy, manager at Bank of Ireland, who chaired the adjudication panel and announced the award winners, added: "Bank of Ireland is delighted to once again support Ignite and its participants and graduates.
"It is an honour to be a part of the Ignite programme and we love hearing from Ireland’s future entrepreneurs. The Ignite programme at UCC is a fantastic opportunity for those who want to establish their own business, and we are proud to be a part of it.”
Ignite is delivered by UCC in partnership with Bank of Ireland, the Local Enterprise Offices of Cork City, South Cork and North and West Cork, Cork City Council and Cork County Council.
Since its foundation in 2011, Ignite has supported over 150 start-up founders who have launched companies such as AnaBio Technologies, ApisProtect, Ecanvasser, LegitFit, QuickMinutes, Supply.ie, Talivest, Traxsit, TrustAp and UrAbility.
The programme is open to recent graduates from all third-level institutions in Ireland to work full-time on a scalable start-up idea with potential for commercial or social impact. UCC start-ups and spin-out companies have created 450 jobs in the past decade.
Photo: The winners of the UCC Ignite Awards: Monika Wojetk of Buildzon (left), Cleidi Hearn of Sunny Numbers (centre), and Luke Murphy of Training Reels. (Pic: Joleen Cronin)
