Young people bid for 2017 business title

AS part of the nationwide search to find Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE), the three Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in Cork launched a campaign in September to find the best young entrepreneurs in their region in three distinct categories, with a €150,000 investment fund up for grabs.

 A total of 45 young entrepreneurs, shortlisted from almost 200 applicants, came together recently for an intensive business boot camp, in association with the LEOs, held at The Maryborough Hotel in Cork.

The boot camp was designed to help participants to develop the skills required to take their entrepreneurial ideas and businesses to the next level. 

From the concept stage to reality, and building a viable business plan to commercialising their business, the boot camp covered areas including business strategy, financial planning and sources of finance, targets and performance measurement as well as investor proposals.

The county-based stage of the competition will culminate with the naming of the nine ‘Best Young Entrepreneurs’ in Cork (three per LEO) at the county final which will be held in Vertigo at Cork County Hall on December 1st . 

The 2016 winners in each of the three categories will then go forward to represent their respective LEO in a regional final in February 2017, and if successful there, will fly the Cork flag at the national final to find Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur before the end of the year.

This is the third year of the IBYE competition, and it saw the highest number of applications to date nationwide, with 1,842 applications. 

This year the age limit was raised, and IBYE was open to anyone aged between 18 and 35, with an innovative and original idea or concept for a product or service that is either at start-up or early development stage.

See @IBYECork on Twitter and IBYE Cork on Facebook for more.