Winners

Ryan Ormonde:

“I am delighted to win the Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur of the Year award alongside Jonathan Hoffman, for Saor Water. Saor has taken me on an incredible journey the last few years, and moments like this really allow you take a step back and realize what we have achieved, and be excited for what’s to come.  We are already seeing the benefits this competition has brought us, with press recognition bringing us in new customer enquiries for our product, and we look forward to using the prize money to tackle our next phase of growth. The competition was fantastic opportunity for us to sit down ourselves, my college (Technological University Dublin), my family and friends and really refine our value proposition, and develop a clear pitch. I look forward to continuing this journey over many more years.”
 

Sponsored by: Enterprise Ireland
Award name: Student Entrepreneur of the Year 2025
Winning institution: Technological University Dublin (TUD)

Team - Jonathan Hoffman and Ryan Ormonde

David Cashman:
"Winning the Grant Thornton Achieving Merit Award has been a powerful milestone in what’s been a whirlwind few months. When I started developing The WellSchools Network, I had no idea how far it could go. This recognition not only validates the potential of the project, but also opens new doors for scaling impact through The WellSchools Network. It’s energised me to keep pushing forward — with bigger ambitions and a stronger foundation."
 

Sponsored by: Grant Thornton 
Award name: Grant Thornton - High Achieving Merit Award
Winning institution: University College Cork (UCC)

Max Crinion-Morgan:
"So far it's been a very exciting journey since I started working on RespÉire just four months ago and discovered this amazing world of support for Irish Entrepreneurs like the Student Entrepreneur Awards. Entrepreneurship wasn't something that I was contemplating when I was focused on my Nursing studies. So, you can imagine my surprise, when RespÉire was chosen from over 1000 students then narrowed down to 50 to the final 10. Receiving the Cruickshank High Achieving Merit Award was an absolute honour, and I am so grateful for this recognition. To any of my fellow Student Nurses and anyone else who thinks they have a great idea, don't be afraid to explore it, as you never know what you might achieve."

Sponsored by: Cruickshank
Award name: Cruickshank - High Achieving Merit Award
Winning institution: Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT)

Sean O'Sullivan:
"The Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur Awards has been huge for Lion’s Reign. We had the chance to run through our business model with the leaders in innovation across Ireland. Having won the Local Enterprise Office High Achieving Merit Award has provided us with much needed funding and exposure that will be of huge benefit."
 

Sponsored by: Local Enterprise Office
Award name: Local Enterprise Office - High Achieving Merit Award
Winning institution: University College Cork (UCC)

James Fahy:
“The student entrepreneur awards was a brilliant platform for myself and Ciara to expand our business. We have been growing JustTip since 2020 and winning the award is great recognition for all the hard work we have put in.”
 

Sponsored by: Enterprise Ireland
Award name: 2024 Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur of the Year
Winning institution: Technological University Dublin/University Galway

Seamus Cummins:
"The student entrepreneur awards provided me with an opportunity to refine and build up my business. Each stage of the competition requires in-depth reflection and offers a chance to improve your company. The application process is simple and Enterprise Ireland offers assistance throughout, making this competition a must-enter for any student with an idea."
 

Sponsored by: Grant Thornton
Award name: 2024 Grant Thornton High Achieving Merit Award
Winning institution: Dublin City University

Rachel O'Dell:
"Our participation in the Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur Awards has been truly transformative. It provided us with invaluable support in refining our business idea and allowed us to connect with a supportive community of fellow entrepreneurs. I can confidently say this experience has been instrumental in equipping us with the skills and confidence needed to take our product to new heights."
 

Sponsored by: Cruickshank
Award name: 2024 Cruickshank High Achieving Merit Award
Winning institution: University of Limerick

Sponsored by: Local Enterprise Office
Award name: 2024 Local Enterprise Office High Achieving Merit Award
Winning institution: University of Limerick

Sponsored by: Enterprise Ireland
Award name: 2023 Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur of the Year
Winning institution: University College Cork

Sponsored by: Grant Thornton
Award name: 2023 Grant Thornton High Achiever Winner
Winning institution: Trinity College Dublin

Sponsored by: Cruickshank
Award name: 2023 Cruickshank High Achieving Merit Award
Winning institution: University of Limerick

Sponsored by: Local Enterprise Office
Award name: 2023 Local Enterprise Office High Achieving Merit Award
Winning institution: Dundalk Institute of Technology & Queen's University Belfast

"The Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur Awards has been an amazing experience for me from start to finish. The entire process of applying and putting structure to my business was fantastic and it allowed me the opportunity to think about the future of my business as well."

Sponsored by: Enterprise Ireland
Award name: 2022 Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur of the Year
Winning institution: University College Cork

"I am so grateful for the opportunities and experience that Enterprise Ireland has opened up for me. Taking part in the competition really opened my eyes to believe that success is not final, failure is not fatal and that it is the courage to continue that counts. Winning this award and funds has allowed me to continue my journey and successfully launch my business. It was a privilege to be apart of such an amazing event."

Sponsored by: Grant Thornton
Award name: 2022 Grant Thornton High Achiever Winner
Winning institution: South East Technological University

"The Student Entrepreneur Awards have been a fantastic experience and I would highly recommend taking part. The competition gave me a clear insight into what it takes to be a young entrepreneur, a supportive network to improve my product concept and a platform to develop the necessary skills I need to bring my product to the next level"

Sponsored by: Cruickshank
Award name: 2022 Cruickshank High Achieving Merit Award
Winning institution: St. Angela's College, Sligo

Sponsored by: Local Enterprise Office
Award name: 2022 Local Enterprise Office High Achieving Merit Award
Winning institution: St. Angela's College, Sligo

"Participating in the Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur Awards was an invaluable learning experience in our journey as a company, and winning the overall award provided us with the necessary exposure and funds to bring Field Of Vision to the next level."

Sponsored by: Enterprise Ireland
Award name: 2021 Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur of the Year
Winning institution: Trinity College Dublin & Queen's University Belfast

"The opportunities that have opened up with thanks to the Student Entrepreneur Awards have been amazing. The support and mentorship has allowed us to accelerate the growth of Pure Clothing."

Sponsored by: Grant Thornton
Award name: 2021 Grant Thornton High Achiever Winner
Winning institution: Dublin City University & University of Limerick

"The Student Entrepreneur Awards helped me further develop my business skills and also allowed me to expand my network of connections."

Sponsored by: Cruickshank
Award name: 2021 Cruickshank High Achieving Merit Award
Winning institution: University College Cork

"The Student Entrepreneurship Awards gave us the opportunity to tell the story of Diglot on a nationwide stage in the most compelling and passionate way we could. It was a complete privilege to compete against such an incredible standard of high-potential startups and to walk away with an ICT award was the cherry on top of a lot of hard work. The thrill of pitching on such a stage and the lessons we have learnt will stay with us for a long time"

Sponsored by: Local Enterprise Office
Award name: 2021 Local Enterprise Office ICT Award
Winning institution: Trinity College Dublin

"The Student Entrepreneur Awards gave me an acclaimed platform to promote Neurobell which will greatly assist in reaching both national and international commercialisation goals "

Sponsored by: Enterprise Ireland
Award name: 2020 Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur of the Year
Winning institution: University College Cork

"The Student Entrepreneur Awards have allowed me to develop skills that will benefit me through my career, regardless of what path I choose! "

Sponsored by: Grant Thornton
Award name: 2020 Grant Thornton High Achiever Winner
Winning institution: Cork Institute of Technology

"The Student Entrepreneur Awards helped me further develop my business skills and also allowed me to expand my network of connections."

Sponsored by: Cruickshank
Award name: 2020 Cruickshank High Achieving Merit Award
Winning institution: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

"Being a Student Entrepreneur Awards finalists had fuelled our ambition to scale Cotter Agritech globally."

Sponsored by: Local Enterprise Office
Award name: 2020 Local Enterprise Office ICT Award
Winning institution: Limerick Institute of Technology & University College Cork

"The Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur Award is a transformative process which has completely changed my career path for the better. It gave me the confidence to progress as an entrepreneur, and has opened up so many doors and connections which have been invaluable to date. To any aspiring young entrepreneurs, I could not recommend it high enough. "

Sponsored by: Enterprise Ireland
Award name: 2019 Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur of the Year
Winning institution: University of Galway

"Taking part in the student entrepreneur awards was a fantastic experience. It helped me gain valuable contacts from other businesses and the judges. I received invaluable feedback and advice on next steps I should take in my business regarding fund-ing, research and IP. Receiving the Grant Thornton Prize allowed me to put the funding towards prod-uct development and filling my UK and EU trade-mark to help keep by brand and name protected before launch. I would 100% recommend the awards to any student business as it will give you insights and guidance on your business and how you can progress in the future"

Sponsored by: Grant Thornton
Award name: 2019 Grant Thornton High Achiever Winner

"By competing in the Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur Awards competition my team and I improved a range of skills from product design, marketing, engineering analysis to presenting and pitching our product. We also gained exposure to some of the leading figures in the industry over the competition days who shared invaluable knowledge and experience with us and gave feedback on the development of our product. The organisation of the whole competition was perfect from start to finish. I would encourage anyone who is considering entering to do so."

Sponsored by: Cruickshank
Award name: 2019 Cruickshank High Achieving Merit Award

"Taking part in the SEA competition gave us a unique glimpse into the world of business we could have never gotten in a classroom, we learnt what an investor pitch looked like, what a success-full business strategy should have and the type of questions we should be addressing in advance. "

Sponsored by: Local Enterprise Office
Award name: 2019 Local Enterprise Office ICT Award

"MacGlas is a novel vision aid designed to help people suffering from macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in the western world, which results in the progressive loss of central vision. By configuring and applying existing technologies in a new and innovative way to harness and optimally utilise the sufferer’s peripheral undamaged vision, MacGlas helps these individuals regain everyday capabilities such as reading that have been made impossible by the genetic macular degeneration disease"

Sponsored by: Enterprise Ireland
Award name: Overall Winner Enterprise Ireland Award
Winning institution: Cork Institute of Technology

"Coachbook is an online platform for riding coaches to train horse riders remotely through live video streaming, eliminating the geographical limitations faced by athletes wishing to excel in their sport while also providing a marketplace for coaches to showcase their talents."

Sponsored by: Enterprise Ireland
Award name: 2017 College Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Winning institution: University of Galway

"Gasgon Medical aims to deliver unique and innovative medical devices to improve patient safety and support medical professionals during common procedures. The company was founded when doctors from Cork University Hospital highlighted the valuable staff time that was being wasted while setting up and monitoring IV procedures. Medical staff have reacted positively to the proposed solution, with initial investigations into the business potential uncovering a wider global opportunity. The project has already seen significant success having won both Accenture’s ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ and CIT’s ‘Prize for Innovation’ this year."

Sponsored by: Enterprise Ireland
Award name: 2016 College Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winner
Winning institution: Cork Institute of Technology

"TippyTalk is a bespoke robust touch screen communication system that has been designed by the father of a non-verbal child with autism. TippyTalk allows the child to communicate her desires, feelings and needs to her parents through the transfer of pictures to text messages. TippyTalk allows for the child to send messages to her parents no matter where they are in the world. Not just limited to autism, TippyTalk can be adapted to cover other areas of non-verbal disabilities"

Sponsored by: Enterprise Ireland
Award name: 2015 College Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winner
Winning institution: Limerick Institute of Technology