Most of the time, they work away in the background. Once a year, however, trailblazers leading high-potential start-ups (HPSU) are recognised for their talents at the Enterprise Ireland Founder of the Year awards.
Over the past year, all entries have been on a journey to grow and develop their businesses into scalable operations.
This year, 67 founders compete for the coveted title. That number is being whittled down to nine finalists as voted for by their peers.
Finalists will present their 12-month business growth plan to a panel of four judges, including Jenny Melia, executive director at Enterprise Ireland, Kieran McLoughlin, co-founder and managing partner at VentureWave Capital, Aileen Hayes, director at Endeavor Ireland, and Eddie Dillon, chief executive and founder of CreditLogic.
Companies will be judged under five categories: strength of value proposition and competitive differentiation; robustness of financial model and ability to raise funding; evidence of traction and progress to date; clarity and logic of growth planning; and ambition and capability of team.
The forum brings together more than 450 founders from multiple sectors
The top three companies chosen by the judging panel will go forward to the final evening event, where they’ll battle it out on stage to be crowned HPSU Founder of the Year for 2024.
Now in its sixth year, the HPSU Founder of the Year awards will take place this week at The Gibson Hotel in Dublin. It is part of the High Potential Start-Up Founders Forum, a wider programme to support and help seed-funded Enterprise Ireland clients to scale their business.
Delivered in partnership with business consulting agency Select Strategies, the forum brings together more than 450 founders from multiple sectors, including digital technologies, medical devices, fintech, food, engineering and construction.
The six-month programme provides a platform for founders to help fellow founders succeed internationally and scale faster.
Finding the time to step away from the day-to-day grind is an age-old problem for many entrepreneurs, but the forum is an opportunity to take time out and focus on growth plans and business strategy.
Throughout the programme, participants collaborate and work together in peer groups to find ways to grow, discuss challenges, seek support and learn from each other. Each group has a specialist facilitator, while guest speakers, including forum alumni, share relevant insights and advice.
Meeting like-minded entrepreneurs and growing a network is one of the most beneficial aspects of the programme
Some focus areas during the programme include boosting international sales, exploring product markets, securing funding and growing leadership skills.
Meeting like-minded entrepreneurs and growing a network is one of the most beneficial aspects of the programme. At the end of the six months, founders have a solid circle of contacts they can call on for support and advice.
Enterprise Ireland is dedicated to supporting Irish companies as they scale and expand through programmes like the HPSU Founders Forum. If you’re a scaling founder looking for support, visit HPSU Founders Forum | Enterprise Ireland (enterprise-ireland.com)
Ciara Gorman is programme manager, client leadership & scaling at Enterprise Ireland