Entries open for National Startup Awards 2023 (Ireland)

As the country’s premier startup awards program, they provide a platform for early-stage companies to gain national and international exposure and credibility.

The mission is to identify Ireland’s rising stars across all industries and technologies and help them on their journey to success. They shine a light on talented founders, innovative products and services, and startups with the potential for rapid growth.

Categories

• AI Focused Startup
  • The aim of the AI Focused Startup award is to recognise businesses that the judges feel have either developed a compelling AI proposition OR used AI significantly to deliver their product or service.
  • AI has burst into the world and its implications for startups are huge. This category can be entered by any startup business that’s customer proposition is focused on AI OR that AI is used significantly in the delivery of a product or service.
• ‘The Pitch’
  • The Pitch is a new category for the National Startup Awards. They are looking for entrants who can stand up in a live setting and present their business to a group of judges in 5 minutes or less. In order to be considered you have to give them the flavour of your business in 400 words or less.
  • ‘The Pitch’ category can be entered by any startup regardless of sector. What they are looking for here are 6 startups that will give a 5 minute live pitch at the Awards Ceremony in Dublin’s City Hall. So make your entry engaging, entertaining and to the point! The winner will be selected live by a panel of judges on the night.
• Early Stage Startup
  • The aim of the Early Stage Startup award is to recognise businesses that the judges feel have outstanding potential but may not be at the same level in terms of traction as more established startups.
  • The Early Stage Startup award is designed to recognise Startups that display great potential for future growth. Early Stage Startups can come from any sector but must be under 2 years old (From date of incorporation).
• eCommerce & Retail Startup
  • Startups are increasingly looking to identify ways of transacting business online, and this award aims to showcase instances where this has been done excellently.
  • eCommerce is the term describing the conducting of business through online channels, encompassing the outward-facing processes that touch suppliers, partners and customers, and including not just marketing communications but also sales, order taking, delivery, fulfillment and customer service.
• Emerge-Tech Startup
  • The aim of the Emerge Tech Startup Award is to recognise startups offering disruptive solutions as new applications, processes, products or business models in cutting edge industries.
  • Emerging technologies are technologies that are perceived as capable of changing the status quo. EmergeTech industries include AI, information technology, wireless data communication, man-machine communication, on-demand printing, bio-technologies, and advanced robotics.
• Fintech Startup
  • The aim of the Fintech Startup Award is to recognise startups offering disruptive solutions as new applications, processes, products or business models in the financial services or insurance industry. E.g. payments, blockchain/distributed ledger, lending platforms, etc
  • The rise of fintech has changed the way companies do business. This has opened up a world of possibilities. Businesses can offer more services than ever and for a fraction of the price of what it would have cost before.
• Food and Drink Startup
  • The Food & Drink Startup Award aims to recognise startups offering products & services related to food & beverage products in Ireland.
  • The Food & Drink industries play a major role in economic activity in Ireland with wide-ranging impact on economic growth, employment, and local development. In recent years they have seen fantastic innovation across all sectors in Food & Drink.
• Medtech Startup
  • The aim of the Medtech Startup Award is to recognise startups offering disruptive solutions as new applications, processes, products or business models in the Medical Technology industries.
  • Medtech is already diagnosing, monitoring and treating virtually every disease or condition that affects the human race. From sticking plasters to body scanners there are ever more technologies coming on stream to improve the lives of patients.
• Product and Manufacturing Startup
  • With the Product & Manufacturing Startup of the Year category, they look to celebrate the country’s creative minds and budding innovators who have successfully produced an exciting and tangible product, and identify the product start-up set to become the ‘next big thing’. Your business doesn’t necessarily have to manufacture the product – it’s the idea that counts -and they’re looking to gather entries from a range of industries.
  • The Irish start-up scene may appear to be increasingly dominated by tech and service-focused companies but there’s still a huge market for product businesses. They are looking for the best Product & Manufacturing Startups in Ireland. Have you created a great product?
• Sustainability Focused Startup
  • To recognise Startups that directly drive sustainability or have sustainability embedded in their processes and structures to deliver their customer value proposition.
  • Sustainability is now a key feature of the business and societal landscape. This category recognises a startup business that either has a customer proposition that directly sustainability focused OR that Sustainability is embedded in its processes as to how it delivers is products or services.
• Tech Startup
  • If you are a fast-growing digital company disrupting the tech industry in some way – they want to hear from you. It’s not all about figures, although they’re definitely looking for ambitious companies, but they want to see innovation, impressive founders and huge market potential.
  • They are looking to recognise the Ireland’s booming tech start-up community and celebrate and reward the nation’s best tech businesses.

Why enter the awards?

• Impress potential investors
• Gain prestige and recognition from peers
• Network with fellow entrepreneurs
• Raise your National & International profile
• Boost existing client comfort and loyalty
• Demonstrate workplace attractiveness to potential employees
• Increase your business growth
• Category winners will receive a Startup Awards Winners Trophy

Eligibility Criteria

• Your organisation must be five years old or less on October 30th 2022 [from date of incorporation].
• It is not a requirement to be a customer of any particular financial institution to enter the awards.
• Simply select the categories you wish to enter (you can enter up to three per company) and fill in the short application form.
• The judging panels will review all the submissions and select a regional shortlist for each category.
• These regional shortlists will be merged and judged again to produce the National Shortlist.
• National Shortlisted entrants will be invited to pitch their businesses live to the national judging panel in Dublin in mid November 2023
• The winners will be announced at the Startup Awards Ceremony on 30th of November 2023 in Dublin’s City Hall.

For more information, visit National Startup Awards.