Several hundred people are expected to attend the GMIT Spirit of Entrepreneurship event in GMIT Castlebar on Monday September 19 to hear about funding sources and supports for start-ups.
An Taoiseach Enda Kenny will attend the event which commences at 5pm in St Mary’s Hall, GMIT. Two leading entrepreneur businessmen, Sean Gallagher, panellist on Dragon’s Den, and Ciaran Crean, co-founder of micksgarage.ie, will address the gathering.
The entrepreneurship event begins with client companies in GMIT’s innovation centres showcasing their products and services. This will be followed by talks from entrepreneur Sean Gallagher, who will speak about what investors look for in a promoter and pitch, and Ciaran Crean, who will talk about selling car parts online and e-commerce, and how his website business has grown.
Three companies from the GMIT innovation centres will also pitch their business ideas to the general public.
This is the fifth year the GMIT Innovation Centre (Castlebar ) has hosted the Spirit of Entrepreneurship event. Previous speakers include Jerry Kennelly, Stockbyte and Tweak; Frank Salmon, CMS Peripherals; John Concannon, JFC Manufacturing; Tommy Griffith, PEL Recycling; Sean Rowland, Hibernia College; Leonard Moran, Ovagen and Biological Labs Ballina; and Jonathan Ruane, Eventovate. This year’s event is sponsored by CMS Peripherals, Kiltimagh. E Irl is also supporting the event.
Maria Staunton, manager IiBC, GMIT Castlebar, said: “We want to get people thinking about setting up their own business or developing their existing business further. This event will outline the funding sources and supports available, while successful entrepreneurs who have been through it all will tell their own stories. It will also give potential entrepreneurs a good understanding of what our innovation centre here offers. Our overall aim is to create more start-up companies in our region.”
Admission is free. Booking is advisable as places are limited. Register your attendance either by email at [email protected] or telephone 094 904 3198.
This event is being held as part of Mayo Ideas Week, which runs from September 19 to 23. During Mayo Ideas Week a series of idea generation and entrepreneurship events are hosted by business development organisations and enterprise support agencies in Co Mayo.
