Innovative start-up and early-stage companies from Athlone and its environs are being called on to enter Ireland’s biggest investor readiness competition.
The InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Investor Readiness competition, which has a top prize of €100,000, gives companies the opportunity to become investor-ready with expert feedback on business plans and pitches as well as increased exposure to investors.
Seedcorn boasts an overall prize fund of €300,000 and for the second consecutive year, a €20,000 prize is also up for grabs for best investment proposal from a company operating in the low carbon/green sector.
"Since its inception in 2003, Seedcorn has been instrumental to some of the island of Ireland’s biggest start-up success stories.
"The benefits of entering go well beyond the cash prize. As well as competing for a share of the €300,000 prize fund, all entrants will win by accessing new investor networks, receiving invaluable feedback on their business plans and pitches from real-world investors, as well as boosting the profile of their business along the way.
"We are hosting a series of free information-sharing sessions in the coming weeks to help companies with their entries, and I would encourage all innovative young businesses to embrace the opportunities that Seedcorn can provide," Connor Sweeney, Seedcorn Programme Manager at InterTradeIreland, welcoming entrants for this year’s competition, stated.
Previous winners have spanned a wide range of sectors, and hailed from across the island of Ireland. The overall winner of the 2021 Seedcorn competition was Cork-based med-tech firm, Gasgon Medical. The company manufactures AirVault, a device for removing air bubbles from flowing fluids, and is aimed primarily at medical IV infusions.
InterTradeIreland will host a series of free online information sessions over the coming weeks, designed to help companies thinking of entering this year’s competition, including providing advice on preparation of video clips, presentation slide decks and business plans. More information on these events and on how to enter the 2022 InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition can be found at https://intertradeireland.com/seedcorn. The closing date for entries is 1pm on May 27.
