Entries have opened for Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) competition. The enterprise initiative – now in its third year – from the Dept of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Enterprise Ireland is run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices around the country, supporting entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35 through training, mentoring and direct financial investments from a combined fund of €2 million.
Every Local Enterprise Office will award six investments of €50,000 to three category winners and three runners-up at county level. The local winners in the best start-up and best established business categories at county level will receive investments of up to €15,000 each and the two runners-up will each receive up to €5,000.
The best business idea winner at county level will receive an investment of up to €7,000 and the runner-up will receive up to €3,000. These winners at county level will progress to regional finals early next year and the national final will be held in March 2017.
Announcing the start of this year’s programme, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation Mary Mitchell O’ Connor said: “Since the first running of the IBYE competition in 2014, over 180 young entrepreneurs have received investments of up to €70,000 to turn their business ideas into a reality or to develop their existing business into a better one.
“It’s not just the scale of the investment fund on offer that makes IBYE such an important competition. To date over 1,000 young IBYE entrants have received intensive enterprise bootcamp training from their Local Enterprise Office to help them establish and develop their entrepreneurship careers.
Sheelagh Daly of the Local Enterprise Offices said: “The substantial investments available under IBYE are a very important part of the programme and will help more young entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and create more jobs. Other business supports, such as management training, networking and one-to-one mentoring are also at the heart of IBYE.
“Last year, 450 young entrepreneurs benefitted from these business supports, so the rewards are there for participants, as well as for the winners. Taking part in IBYE will help Ireland’s young entrepreneurs to move their businesses to the next level, whatever stage their business is at.”
To enter, visit www.ibye.ie and make a submission by 14 October 2016.
TechCentral Reporters
Subscribers 0
Fans 0
Followers 0
Followers