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Discover How IGNITE Can Help You Start Your Business - Webinar
Do you want to hear more about the IGNITE Programme?
Join us on Wed 30 June at 16.00 to hear how we can help you start your business. The IGNITE team, Eamon Curtin - Director and Michelle Dorgan - Programme Manager will talk about IGNITE, what it entails, the application process and answer any questions you may have.
IGNITE, an international award winning start-up programme at University College Cork, is looking for recent graduate entrepreneurs to join the next IGNITE programme, commencing September 2021.
Two Alumni - Marion Cantillon, Pit Seal and William Nolan, Addaptiv will also join the webinar and share their experience on the IGNITE programme and answer any questions you may have.
IGNITE supports recent graduates turn good ideas into scalable businesses that have economic, environmental or social impact. Based at University College Cork, the 12 month programme is open to all recent graduates from any discipline in any third level Institution in Ireland who have the passion and ambition to work full-time on a scalable start-up idea with potential for commercial or social impact.
Since 2011, IGNITE has supported almost 130 start-ups, including:
- Conor Lyden, founder of Trustap. Trustap is a peer to peer escrow style payment platform. Conor completed a BE (Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering) in 2016 at University College Cork. “Without IGNITE and all of the people involved I simply would not have my own business”
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Marion Cantillon, founder of Pitseal. Pitseal is an edible biofilm that replaces plastic sheeting in the silage process to reducing plastic waste and improve greenhouse gas emissions in farming. Marion completed a BSc Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship at University College Cork in 2020. “When I started IGNITE, all I had was an idea in my head; and now that I’m nearly finished, I have a product, a company and, most importantly, a clear plan for the future as well as a support network I can always count on. IGNITE helped me bring my product to life whilst providing me with the advice and guidance to navigate through any challenges that may arise.”
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Dr Fiona Edwards-Murphy, co-founder of ApisProtect. The company uses Internet of Things (IoT) technology to monitor honey bee colonies. The company raised €1.5M in 2018 to deploy the system in the U.S and is currently monitoring 100 million honeybees worldwide. Fiona was recently listed on Forbes 30 under 30. Fiona completed a BE (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) at University College Cork and a PhD with the Embedded Systems group in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences (BEES) at University College Cork. “IGNITE really helped me to develop my pitching skills, I’ve gone from afraid to stand up and talk in front of a single person to pitching to over 400 people”
10 reasons to start your business with IGNITE:
1. We select just 10 businesses for each IGNITE programme to ensure that founders get the support they need when they need it.
2. Our supports include practical workshops and seminars in areas such as business model innovation, marketing, sales, finance, law, taxation and investment.
3. And we help develop and fine tune personal business skills such as pitching and presenting, networking and relationship building.
4. We have an extensive network of entrepreneurs, business owners and industry executives available to offer advice and guidance on a one-to-one basis as required. Members of the mentor panel can be found here, and members of the advisory board can be found here.
5. And we have regular guest entrepreneur speakers who share their stories in small group sessions.
6. All our founders have access to a shared workspace in the Western Gateway Building at University College Cork and can access many of our supports online.
7. And they benefit from the support of UCC’s research, commercialisation and academic expertise.
8. Founders enjoy free membership of Cork Chamber and IT@Cork and discounted membership for the Mardyke, UCC.
9. We provide early seed funding for each start-up.
10. And we do not take an equity stake in your company.
Express Interest here.