Two UCC students were recognised at the 2025 National Student Entrepreneur Awards for their outstanding ventures. David Cashman won the Grant Thornton High Achieving Merit Award and €5,000 for The WellSchools Network and Sean O’Sullivan received the Local Enterprise Office High Achieving Merit Award, also with €5,000, for his innovative product Lion’s Reign. 

Ten exceptional student-led teams showcased their innovative start-up ideas at the 2025 UCC Student Entrepreneur Awards, tackling real-world challenges in health, education, sustainability, and more. Their creativity, dedication, and entrepreneurial spirit made UCC proud and inspired everyone who attended.

The IGNITE Awards and Showcase 2025 took place recently at University College Cork, shining a spotlight on the ambition and innovation of this year’s cohort of graduate-led start-ups.

IGNITE Alumni David Cashman's Well Schools Network used as a Case Study for Knowledge Transfer Ireland

Several of our incredible IGNITE alumni have been featured in the Think Business Hot 100 list of Irish start-ups to watch in 2025! 

IGNITE alumni LegitFit, a Cork-based gym management software company, has successfully raised approximately €1.74m to fuel its growth in the competitive UK market.

Monday 26 August 2024 is the closing date for applications for the next intake of start-up founders for the next IGNITE programme in October 2024.