The second 12-week Prep4Seed Programme of 2024 culminated at the Investor Pitch Day when 11 startups pitched for €8.8million in investment as part of Prep4Seed Programme, at the Enterprise Ireland headquarters.
The programme, delivered by the four Irish Business Innovation Centres (BICs ), in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland brings high growth start-up clients through the investor readiness process quickly and effectively.
This cycle included companies from around the country, representing industry sectors including ICT, Food, FinTech, Gaming, Sustainability and more.
The pitching Companies were: Accelerating Action, Assiduous Corp Limited, Diviso.io, Emotionise AI, Equieire Equestrian Ltd, Everly, Grá Chocolates Limited, Niskus Biotec, StationOps, Trave and Zenland Games Ireland Ltd.
Mary Ryan, Deputy CEO of WestBIC said: "At WestBIC, we are incredibly proud of the Prep4Seed programme and its impact on supporting early-stage entrepreneurs to become investor-ready. Seeing Grá Chocolates win Best Pitch is a testament to the talent and hard work of our clients. We are delighted to have the support of Enterprise Ireland and the strong collaboration with our fellow BICs, which underscores the importance of partnerships in fostering innovation and growth across Ireland
Everly who was awarded the One to Watch Award is a cutting-edge life event planning platform with embedded finance capabilities, designed to transform milestone celebrations and significant life moments.
Grá Chocolates who took home the Best Pitch Award is renowned Irish chocolate company, crafting exquisite treats that capture the essence of the Emerald Isle.
Commenting on the award, Gráinne Mullines, Ceo & Founder of Grá Chocolate said “Grá Chocolates is honoured to have won the Best Pitch Award. This milestone reflects the incredible support and guidance we received from WestBIC through the Prep4Seed programme. We’re also extremely thankful to Enterprise Ireland for their confidence in our potential and this recognition inspires us to aim even higher as I continue building Grá Chocolates.”
Participants attended five Masterclasses run by the Irish BICs and tailored one-to-one meetings with experienced BIC consultants which covered a broad range of areas including Sales & Marketing, Financial Modelling, Market Validation, Pitching & Investment and Company Foundation. Participants were also brought through intensive investor pitch preparation sessions and trial pitches preparing them for the Investor Day.
As this cycle closes 66 startups have now participated in the 12-week Prep4Seed investor-ready programme delivered nationally by the Irish BICs: WestBIC, Propelor, Furthr and AxisBIC in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland.
