SETU hosts Powerhouse women in business showcase
The Powerhouse women pitch winners with presenters Noel Davidson, Helen McNulty of the Entrepreneurs Academy and the event's Powerhouse partners
WHAT organisers hope will be the first annual ‘Powerhouse Start Up and Scale Showcase’ was held on 24 June at South East Technical University Carlow.
Powerhouse is a Carlow initiative that seeks to support female entrepreneurs and professionals by offering opportunities for growth, networking and leadership development. It is supported by Carlow Co Council’s Local Enterprise Office and Carlow Library Service, County Carlow Chamber, Carlow-Kilkenny Skillnet, SETU and the Kilkenny-Carlow Education Training Board.
The event opened with a welcome by Brian Ogilvie, head of entrepreneurship and rural engagement in SETU, who highlighted the many opportunities for entrepreneurs to engage with the university’s research, enterprise and innovation programmes. He also emphasised the vital role of outreach rural centres in supporting enterprise development across the region.
The event saw over 40 founders take part in a masterclass delivered by the Entrepreneurs Academy, followed by hands-on practice and networking sessions.
The day’s main event was the , which saw every participant deliver a three-minute pitch in either the start-up or scale-up categories. The pitches were judged by representatives from the organisations that support Powerhouse. The judges assessed each pitch on clarity of problem, strength of solution, market insight, traction and team credibility.
The judges said that it was difficult to pick the award winners, as the overall standard of the participants was exceptional, which, they believed, reflects the depth of talent in Carlow and the south-east region women-led business community.
Shannon Redmond won the best start-up pitch award for her Amplifi Podcast Studio pitch. Alison Murphy was awarded best scale-up pitch for her pitch for Murphy Engineering, while Laura Mullin won the sustainability award for her pitch about the Old Post Office café in Bagenalstown.
Announcing the awards, Paula O’Brien, director of services at Carlow Co Council, captured the spirit of the day, saying: “There has been energy, generosity and a real sense of community. People who arrived as strangers leave as collaborators and friends.”
Each winner received €1,000, six hours of mentorship from Carlow Co Council’s Local Enterprise Office, Skillnet training credit and six months membership of Carlow Chamber of Commerce.
Powerhouse has set out its intention to continue hosting events like this and stated that this year’s flagship event will be held on National Women’s Enterprise Day, with an event in the Woodford Dolmen Hotel on Thursday 15 October. This event will be delivered in partnership with Kilkenny Co Council and full programme details and registration information will be released shortly.
In the meantime, those interested in attending events or training sessions can go on to Powerhouse’s website to view upcoming opportunities.
