The National Startup Awards 2024 – Ireland

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.

Each year, they thoroughly review startup applications from across Ireland to select the most disruptive, scalable and fundable companies. Finalists gain recognition through awards events, promotional campaigns, and startup accelerator programs. Winners take home prizes and gain invaluable media coverage and investor interest.

Startup Categories

• Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers Startup
  • Frontiers Programme is a national initiative designed to support ambitious startup founders with innovative business ideas that have the potential to scale and create employment. The three stage programme offers a comprehensive package of support, including mentorship, training, and access to a vibrant community of entrepreneurs and business experts.
  • The aim of the New Frontiers Award is to recognise the best and most innovative companies that have graduated from Phase 2 of the New Frontiers Programme from 2023-2024.
• AI Focused Startup
  • 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 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.
• ‘The Pitch’
  • ‘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.
  • They are delighted to announce a new category – 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 us the flavour of your business in 400 words or less. Tell us about the idea, your key insights into the market, your team and your strategy – BUT get to the point! Six finalists will be selected to pitch live at the Startup Awards ceremony on in Dublin’s City Hall and you will have the opportunity to impress the judges and the sponsors from Enterprise Ireland, Microsoft, Sage, McCann Fitzgerald, Dogpatch Labs, Dublin City Council and StartupAccountant.ie There will be lots of great startup goodies for the winners as well!
• Early Stage Startup
  • Microfinance Ireland Logo RGB Full Colour 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).
  • 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.
• eCommerce & Retail Startup
  • 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.
  • Startups are increasingly looking to identify ways of transacting business online, and this award aims to showcase instances where this has been done excellently.
• Emerge-Tech Startup
  • 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.
  • 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.
• Fintech Startup
  • 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.
  • 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
• Food and Drink Startup
  • 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.
  • The Food & Drink Startup Award aims to recognise startups offering products & services related to food & beverage products in Ireland.
• Medtech Startup
  • 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.
  • 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.
• Product and Manufacturing Startup
  • 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?
  • 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.
• Social/Sustainable Startup
  • Sustainability is now a key feature of the business and societal landscape. This category honors a startup that either presents a customer proposition with a direct focus on sustainability or has sustainability deeply integrated into its processes for delivering products or services.
  • To recognise Startups that directly drive sustainability or have sustainability embedded in their processes and structures to deliver their customer value proposition
• Tech Startup
  • They are looking to recognise the Ireland’s booming tech start-up community and celebrate and reward the nation’s best tech businesses.
  • 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.

Award Information

• Category winners will receive a Startup Awards Winners Trophy.
• Special Awards: The Grand Prix Winner – Startup of the Year will be chosen from the winners of the individual categories and the Startup Hero will be chosen by a separate panel of judges.

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

Eligibility Criteria

• Your organisation must be five years old or less on October 30th 2024.
• 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 November 2024
• The winners will be announced at the Startup Awards Ceremony on 21st of November 2024 in Dublin’s City Hall.

Judging Criteria

• All applicants must have successfully completed Phase 2 of the New Frontiers programme at any location between 2023-2024
  • Innovation: E.g. grade of innovation, disruption and originality
  • Business model: E.g. Organisational structure, sales strategy, strength of team, vision & strategic plan.
  • Customer Value Proposition: Why should a customer buy or use your product or service?
  • Scalability and Market Reach: E.g. pathway to growth, market size, export potential.
  • Social Impact: E.g. jobs generated, diversity policy, social inclusion.

For more information, visit The National Startup Awards.