+353 (1) 443 4041 
Subscribe to RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Edel McCarthy
Describe the Spark of Genius award and why ESB Electric Ireland is the main sponsor?
I attended the Dublin Web Summit last year and can honestly say I’ve never attended an event like it. Firstly there were a stellar array of speakers including the founders of YouTube, Twitter and Skype – serious tech royalty! But more importantly than that was the optimism and energy of the other delegates. Every second person I spoke to was at some stage of developing a business idea or new digital or technology business. It was incredibly inspiring – in the depths of the recession I left the summit feeling that this country was actually going to be okay. We decided then to partner with the Dublin Web Summit and having spoken to Paddy and his team, realised that partnering on the Spark of Genius award would be a great fit for ESB Electric Ireland.
The ESB Electric Ireland Spark of Genius Award offers Ireland’s hot tech start-up a support package worth €40,000 in cash and services including services from KPMG, Cawley Nea, Maples & Calders and Digweb.
How many entered this competition?
Almost 100.
Is there a short list of start ups?
Well, there’s a long list. The 10 who made the judging round are:
Redeem & Get; Boxpay; AirPOS Ltd.; Fixational; Safefood 360; Hit the Road; b-sm@rk Ltd.; Vigill; payByMobile; Vocalytics.
The judges will announce five finalists next week who will go on to present at the summit on October 27th.
What criteria are companies judged by?
A prestigious panel of judges look at a number of areas. The main ones are expected growth, innovation and the ability to become a truly global company.
How is the final winner decided and what do they receive?
Judging as above. The final prize includes €5,000 in cash, advertising and services from KPMG, Cawley Nea, Maples & Calders and Digweb.
What has ESB learned from sponsoring an initiative like this?
Speaking with people who are involved in technology start-ups or who are trying to get the seed capital together to take the first step; it really brings home how exciting but also how difficult it is. Think of the bravery required to walk away from a job and salary to nurture an idea into a viable business. We are all dependent on these start-ups and the tech sector generally to aid our economic recovery – businesses who are in a position to should consider helping start-ups to take those first crucial steps.
