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Genesis 2008 Showcase & Awards Ceremony
Monday, 14 April 2008 00:00
Pictured: Micheál Martin, T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment 
Over 200 people attended the 2008 Genesis Enterprise Programme Showcase & Awards
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, T.D., presented the End of Year Awards at the 10th Annual Genesis Enterprise Programme (GEP) 2008 Awards & Showcase, at Cork Institute of Technology on Monday 14th April.
This year Genesis celebrates a decade of entrepreneurial achievement. During the last ten years, Genesis has supported 160 people and teams in starting their businesses. More that 70% of the start-up businesses are in operation to-day employing more that twelve hundred people. More than 50% of the businesses are trading internationally. 32 businesses have gone on to be designated "High Potential Start-ups" by Enterprise Ireland.
Genesis has a proven track record of success with knowledge based start-ups across a number of sectors, including medical devices, biotechnology, energy, food, photonics, mechanical engineering, telecommunications, photonics etc.
Publicly funded by the Department of Education & Science, the Genesis Enterprise Programme is a 12 month rapid incubation programme designed to nurture, support and develop entrepreneurs leading knowledge based start-ups in the South West Region.
The Programme provides entrepreneurs with funding, training, mentoring and office facilities. The Genesis Enterprise Programme is administered by the Cork Institute of Technology in partnership with 9 other regional and national organizations, University College Cork, Enterprise Ireland, the 5 South West Region County Enterprise Boards (Kerry, Cork City, Cork North, South Cork, West Cork), Údarás Na Gaeltachta, and Cork BIC (www.gep.ie).
Each year the participating businesses are presented to the public in a showcase exhibition with the achievements of particular businesses in reaching commercial milestones being recognised in an Awards ceremony. Composed of seasoned professionals and experienced entrepreneurs, the Adjudication Panel for the Awards was Michael Hayes, AIB; Michael Cotter, Ernst & Young; Colin Walsh, Thomas Crosbie Holdings; Charles Garvey, Nitrosell; and Jerry Kennelly.
Adjudication for the Genesis Enterprise Programme 2008 Awards took place on Thursday 10th April at Ernst & Young’s Cork office. Pictured here from left to right: Denise Kennedy – Genesis, Charles Garvey – Nitrocell, David Cronin – Qumas, Michael Hayes – AIB, Michael Cotter – Ernst & Young, Colin Walsh – Thomas Crosbie Holdings, John Higgins – Ernst & Young.
L – R Michael Hayes, Development Manager, AIB; Colum Horgan & Pat Lucey, Aspiracon; John Higgins, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young. Aspiracon receiving their award for €2500 as overall winners as “Genesis Emerging Company of the Year” at the Awards The winners of Genesis Emerging Business of the Year and a cheque for €2,500 were Pat Lucey & Colm Horgan from Aspiracon.
Aspiracon develop solutions that take the chaos out of project management, helping project managers to meet their commitments. AspiraCon has integrated project management knowledge into a set of software tools that are tailored to meet customer requirements.
(www.aspiracon.com)
L – R Michael Hayes, Development Manager, AIB; Andrea Savastano & Sorcha McDonnell, Mediterranean Flavours; John Higgins, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young. Mediterranean Flavours receiving their award for €1500 for “Business Development Achievement” The Business Development Achievement Award and €1,500 went to Sorcha McDonnell of Mediterranean Flavours.
Producers of Fresh Artisan Pasta, Mediterranean Flavours uses only natural ingredients and traditional Italian methods in its product range of tagliatelle, fresh-filled ravioli, fusilli, and maccheroni.
The business supplies to the Catering Industry and also the multiple stores under the Brand name ‘Pasta Milano’.
(www.medflavours.com)
L – R Prionsias Collins, European Irish.com receiving his award for €1500 for “Market Entry Success” from John Higgins, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young. Market Entry Success Award and a prize of €1,500 went to Prionsias Collins of EuropeanIrish.com.
Through EuropeanIrish.com, Irish People living in Continental Europe and Irish people travelling to Europe can find local Irish Entertainment events and news from where to watch live Irish Matches to finding Irish Sports or Social Clubs, Irish Festivals, Irish Dancing Schools, Irish Bands, Irish Embassies, Irish Pubs.
(www.europeanirish.com)
L – R Dan Hayes, Tapasol, Michael Hayes, Development Manager, AIB, Brendan Fidgeon, Tapasol; John Higgins, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young. The Sponsors presenting the “Opportunity Investigation” Award of €1500 to Tapasol The Award for Opportunity Investigation and €1,500 went to Tapasol’s Dan Hayes & Brendan Fidgeon. Tapasol builds servers in hours not days.
The company provides automated server installation solutions to companies who struggle with the costs of utilizing highly skilled engineers to install their solutions in their labs and at customer sites around the world.
The company was founded by Brendan Fidgeon and Dan Hayes who have between them over 30 years experience in the IT industry and who worked in Motorola for the last 10 years.
(www.tapasol.com)
John Higgins, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young presents “Business Plan of the Year” Award & cheque for €1500 to Dr. John Hanrahan, Glantreo Business Plan of the Year and €1,500 was awarded to Glantreo and Dr John Hanrahan, Glantreo Ltd is a materials science R&D company with a particular interest in the area of nanotechnology.
Glantreo hold a number of patents in the area of nanoparticle synthesis and in the application of these materials in the water filtration and chemical separation markets.
(www.glantreo.com)
Michael Delaney, Head of Development, Cork Institute of Technology presents Kieran Moynihan, IBM with the inaugural Genesis Alumni Award. Kieran’s company Comnitel started life on the 1999/2000 Genesis Enterprise Programme. On the night, Genesis also had its inaugural Alumni Award.
The Award has been initiated as part of Genesis celebration of its 10th anniversary and will be presented annually to an alumnus who has made substantial achievements in their commercial field or has contributed in a significant way to the economic development of knowledge based businesses in the region.
The 2008 Genesis Alumni Award was presented to Kieran Moynihan, one of the founders of Comnitel Technologies. After completing the Genesis programme, the company went on to merge with a US and a UK company to form Vallent, a 500 person global company called Vallent with annual revenues of approx. 65 million dollars.
In February 2007, IBM acquired Vallent as part of a major expansion into the telecoms industry in a deal believed to be worth $200 million. Vallent became a key part of IBM's management software division Tivoli which has over 7,000 employees worldwide and revenue of 2.5 billion dollars. IBM, with strong support from the IDA, has expanded the Vallent R&D team to over 150 engineers in Cork and 50 in Galway.
Declan Nestor, Mr. Cotton & winner of €500 award for “Best Stand” serves coffee to Josette O’Mullane, Cork Institute of Technology & Guest.
The Awards are sponsored by Allied Irish Banks; Ernst & Young; Enterprise Ireland; the Cork and Kerry County & City Enterprise Boards; and Cork Institute of Technology. Media partner for the Event was Thomas Crosbie Holdings.
The Sponsors of the Genesis Enterprise Programme Showcase & Awards From L–R, Tomás Hayes, Kerry Enterprise Board; Seán O'Sullivan, South Cork Enterprise Board; Michael Hayes, Development Manager, AIB; John Higgins, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young; Michael Brougham, Enterprise Ireland; Colin Walsh, Thomas Crosbie Holdings; Emer Cassidy, AIB College Manager; Michael Delaney, Head of Development, Cork Institute of Technology; Denise Kennedy, Genesis Enteprise Programme Manager; Michael Hanley, West Cork Enterprise Board.
Michael Hayes, AIB Development Manager, said:
“This is AIB’s sixth year of involvement with the Genesis Enterprise programme and during that time we have seen the quality of the outputs go from strength to strength. AIB has a deep-rooted history in supporting business owners and entrepreneurs. By supporting such initiatives such as Genesis and indeed through financing the creation of and development of businesses, AIB is now the bank more businesses choose. AIB is delighted to support Genesis and wishes all the 2008 participants every success with their ventures.”
Ernst & Young too is pleased to be associated with the awards. According to Michael Cotter, Director of Transaction Advisory Services, Ernst & Young,
“Celebrating entrepreneurs and the businesses they build and grow has been a priority for Ernst & Young for more than two decades, and we are proud to continue this distinguished tradition through sponsorship of the Genesis Enterprise Programme Awards. These Awards recognise the determination, energy, vision and innovative qualities of this year's participants. It is clear from the outstanding quality of the entrants into the programme this year that Cork and Kerry has a thriving and growing entrepreneurial spirit. We should consider ourselves very fortunate that we have such people helping to ensure the region remains competitive into the future.”
In its first time association with the Awards as official media partner, Colin Walsh, Group Marketing Manager with Thomas Crosbie Holdings, said:
“Thomas Crosbie Holdings is delighted to be the Official Media Partner for the Genesis Awards. We have a long history of supporting business and innovation through all of our group companies. Entrepreneurship can be a lonely calling. There are many long hours of trying to get people to believe in you and your vision so when an opportunity comes along to recognise the achievements of these entrepreneurs it must be taken. I hope that we will be recognising the achievements of this year's participants for many years to come.”
Denise Kennedy, Programme Manager, Genesis with former Genesis Programme Managers, Drew O’Sullivan & Eileen Moloney with celebratory cake on the occasion of Genesis 10th Anniversary. Micheál Martin, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment presented the Awards along with the event sponsors, AIB and Ernst & Young. Micheál Martin, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, says that the GEP is “a prime example of the successful synthesis of the resources of the Development Agencies and Educational Institutions in stimulating entrepreneurship and innovation.” Michael Delaney, Head of Development, Cork Institute of Technology was Master of Ceremonies. Over 200 people attended the event drawn from the regional development bodies, current and past Genesis participants, venture capitalists, private investors, the higher education community and the wider business community in the South West region, as well as local and national press.
The Genesis 2007/8 Group
