The winners of Three Ireland’s Grants for Small Businesses programme have been announced. Each of the 10 winners will receive €5,000 in cash along with another €5,000 worth of advice, support and connectivity solutions from Three Ireland’s expert business advisers.
The scheme was open to small businesses based in the Republic of Ireland, with a workforce of nine employees or fewer, that have been trading for a minimum of six months. A shortlist of 20 applicants was prepared during October, and the winners were selected by a judging panel that included Padraig Sheerin, head of SME at Three Ireland; Emma Jones, chief executive of small business network and support provider for Enterprise Nation; Siobhán Finn, National Hub Network manager at NACEC; and Michael O’Dea, senior development adviser for high-potential start-ups at Enterprise Ireland.
“Our role was to take the final shortlist of 20 and choose the 10 winners,” says Sheerin. “It was a really interesting process. It was a privilege to hear the finalists tell their stories. Each of the finalists made a five-minute video pitch. There was a process for evaluation, and we were looking for a number of things including the likely impact the grant would have on the business as well as on the community. Each of the shortlisted companies did very well, and he heard some fantastic stories. Several of the videos included music and other media clips to enhance their impact.”
The high standard of entry made the judging process quite difficult, according to Emma Jones. ‘We were delighted to be involved in the Three small business grant programme from beginning to end,” she says. “The number of entries was impressive and the quality of businesses even more so. It was a tough decision to get to 10 finalists but they are all worthy winners who clearly displayed their ambition, how the grant would help and impact on the communities in which they operate. We look forward to continuing work with Three to ensure all applicants get access to the support they need to thrive.”
“It was fantastic to see the quality of businesses applying for the grant programme from right across Ireland,” adds Siobhán Finn. “I was delighted to be involved as one of the judges working with Enterprise Nation and Three to shortlist the final 10 winners. It was clear from the applicants how much of an impact this grant programme would have on their business and the local community.”
Social theme
There was a strong social theme in evidence among the entries, says Sheerin. “For example, ByoWave in Galway is creating customised handsets for gamers with disabilities. They are making this major global activity completely accessible to people with disabilities. AgriGuardian is focused on farm safety and the most vulnerable people on farms, the under-16s and over-65s. They have developed a wearable device like a fitness tracker. It alerts the farmer if the wearer moves into a hazardous area of the farm. It can also warn if the wearer is coming in close proximity of dangerous machinery. That means if the farmer is operating a loud piece of equipment like a tractor, they will be notified if someone wearing the device is standing behind it.”
Women’s sport also came in for attention. “This is another fantastic story,” says Sheerin. “Her Sport is a digital platform focused on promoting and supporting women in sport. The company has built a community of over 50,000 people who are engaged, loyal and passionate about empowering women in sport. It’s amazing – 41 per cent of sports participants in Ireland are women but just 6 per cent of media coverage goes to women’s sport. Her Sport creates news content, raises the profile of female athletes and showcases role models. It is not just a media company; it is an advocate for women’s sport.”
The programme has now moved on to its next phase. “One of the important next steps is to engage with the winners, talk to them about their stories, and see what they are trying to do,” says Sheerin.
“We will match them with products and solutions to help them reach their goals faster and more cost efficiently. That could be equipping the office with new IT solutions. Of course, a bricks-and-mortar solution is no longer really essential. Lots of businesses had bricks-and-mortar premises and have moved to the virtual world. It’s not about static locations any more. It’s about working from anywhere. We can offer them a solution where they have their fixed line number on their mobile device and can use it anywhere in the world. The programme has been more successful than we could have imagined. The number and variety of entrants and the spread across the entire country have been great.”
Explore how Three’s Business experts can help grow your business. Click here.