Enterprise Ireland has launched the High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Founder of Year Award for 2025.

The overall winner will be announced at an awards ceremony which will take place on Thursday, 16 October 2025 at the Salesforce Tower in Dublin.

This year, 38 High Potential Start-ups were eligible for the award, with the list now narrowed down to five finalists.  

Nominees include Senus, Marama Labs, Pilot Path, Assiduous and NeuroBell.  

On the 16th of October, the final winner will be selected by a panel of judges: Andreea Wade, General Partner at Delta Partners VC; Brian Shields, CEO & Co-Founder of Neurent Medical; and Tom Cusack, Divisional Manager of Industrial & Lifesciences at Enterprise Ireland.

The Founder of the Year award forms an important element of the Enterprise Ireland HPSU Founders Forum.

Now in its seventh year the HPSU Founders Forum, which is delivered in partnership with Select Strategies continues to grow with over 480 founders having participated to date from a variety of sectors including digital technologies, medical devices, fintech, food, engineering and construction.

The objective of the Forum is to provide a platform for founders to help founders succeed internationally and scale faster. 

Photo: Finalists Fergal Meegan, founder of Assiduous and Craig Lancaster, founder of Pilot Patch with Jenny Melia, CEO of Enterprise Ireland.