The latest search to find Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) is underway through the Local Enterprise Office, Roscommon town.
With a €2million investment fund available, including a €50,000 investment fund for the County Roscommon winners, the enterprise initiative from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Enterprise Ireland attracted 1,400 applications across the country last year and supported over 450 young entrepreneurs through training, mentoring and direct financial assistance.
The Local Enterprise Office in Roscommon will award six investment prizes to three category winners and three runners-up, before the Regional Finals early next year.
The local winners in the Best Start-Up and Best Established Business categories will receive €15,000 each and the two runners-up will each receive €5,000. The Best Business Idea winner locally will receive an investment prize of €7,000 and the runner-up will receive €3,000.
Louise Ward, Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Roscommon explains:
“The €50,000 investment fund for County Roscommon winners is a very important part of the competition and will help more young entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and create more jobs here locally. Other business supports, such as management training, networking and one-to-one mentoring are also at the heart of the IBYE competition. 450 young entrepreneurs benefited from these business supports last year, 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.”
The competition is now in its third year and last year’s local winners were: Enda Mahon, Mahon Solutions, Ballymoe in the Best Business Idea category; Mark Bannon & Will Ferguson, VT NETWORKS, Bealnamulla, Athlone in the Best Start-Up Business category and Oz Ibrahmi, HEX CNC, Knockvicar, Boyle in the Best Established Business category. The county’s Best Young Entrepreneur for 2015 was Oz Ibrahmi of HEX CNC.
To enter, young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35 in County Roscommon are being asked to visit the competition website at www.ibye.ie, to submit their entry online. The closing date to enter is Friday, October 14th and there is no entry fee.