Entrepreneurial excellence honoured at SETU’s New Frontiers showcase and awards

The founders of the south east’s best start-ups in 2024 were honoured at South East Technological University (SETU) for their entrepreneurial determination to develop innovative business solutions for international markets.

The New Frontiers class of 2024 showcase and awards took place recently at SETU’s Cork Road Campus in Waterford, where members of the south east start-up eco-system attended the event to meet the Waterford New Frontiers class of 2024 and to hear about the solutions they developed.

Among the concepts developed by this year’s cohort were a dynamic digital identity system, a platform to unlock trapped value in the art market, a digital tourism platform to augment visitor experiences, a qualitative data platform for microbiome testing organisations, a scenario-based training platform for HR departments, a 3D custom printing business utilising renewable materials, a platform to protect private data on public blockchains, and a high-speed inventory movement system for high street retail.

Guest speaker, Susan O’Neill CEO of Sulu Ltd, the 2023 winner of the Most Innovation Business Idea award, advised the class of 2024 to “reach out to your network, lean on all the supports available to you. When you are in a start-up every day counts”.

Entrepreneurial excellence took centre stage at the event, where achievements were recognised across various award categories. The Best Business Plan award went to Dr Rebecca O’Mahony of BiomiCare in Waterford, a service provider offering microbiome intelligence to B2B clients. The Best Business Opportunity award was presented to Fionn Rogers of RB3D Ltd in Wexford, which uses additive manufacturing technology to produce uniquely designed products from renewable materials. The Most Innovative New Business Idea award was given to Sue McLoughlin of Scenario WorX in Kildare, an immersive learning technologies business that creates real-life scenarios to help organisations transform their teams' knowledge into real-world skills.

Speaking to the award winners, New Frontiers National Programme Manager at Enterprise Ireland, Paula Carroll said: “The New Frontiers programme at SETU Waterford has a strong record in supporting high growth start-ups. Your hard work while participating in the Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers programme and your dedication in launching new businesses deserves to be recognised."

"Nationally, Enterprise Ireland continues to support entrepreneurial founders and we wish the Waterford New Frontiers class of 2024 every success in further developing their businesses," she added. 

New Frontiers Programme Director, Eugene Crehan commended the class of 2024 by saying, “These award-winning founders have worked effectively on Phase 2 of New Frontiers to increase their understanding of target markets. They have engaged with prospective customers in a meaningful way to develop the best product-market solutions for customers’ problems. Today, they become part of the New Frontiers community of founders who have completed the New Frontiers programme at SETU in Waterford.” 

Sue McLoughlin of Scenario WorX described winning the award as a "humbling and inspiring moment for everyone involved with ScenarioWorX."

She continued, "Thank you to the New Frontiers team in Waterford for including me in the programme. I learned so much not only from the programme team and the presenters but also from the other founders in the group We are very grateful for this award as it is a clear indication that we’re on the right track with our innovative approach to skills development. 

"We’re excited to leverage this recognition to further develop our idea and our roadmap to achieve great things in the next 12 months," Ms McLoughlin concluded. 

The New Frontiers programme at SETU is funded by Enterprise Ireland and is delivered twice annually in the south east region by SETU at the University’s campuses in Waterford and Carlow. Phase 2 of New Frontiers is an intensive six-month programme where participants learn how to establish and run a new high-growth potential company.

Applications for the next programme at SETU’s West Campus in Waterford are now open. For application details email newfrontiers.wd@setu.ie. The online Phase 1 programme commences in September 2024 and the full-time Phase 2 starts in December 2024. For more information see the New Frontier’s website here.