New start and early-stage businesses in Galway have just five more days to enter the InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition.
The competition gives innovative start-ups the opportunity to bag the top prize of €100,000, and entrants can benefit from expert feedback on their business plans and pitches.
They can also get exposure to real life investors, helping the ambitious start-ups and early-stage businesses become investor ready.
For the third consecutive year, a €20,000 prize is also up for grabs for best investment proposal from a company operating in the sustainability / low carbon sector.
Connor Sweeney, Seedcorn Programme Manager at InterTradeIreland, welcomed entrants for this year’s competition.
“We look forward to seeing the best talent on offer from innovative start-ups across Ireland and Northern Ireland,” Connor said.
“Since we started running the competition in 2003, we have been a part of some of the greatest start-up success stories on this island.
“Seedcorn gets high-potential start-ups in front of experts to refine their business plans, develop their pitching skills and learning how to attract investment and raise equity. Investors know there is a pool of talent here, and they are ready to invest.
“Seedcorn helps new start and early-stage companies get ready for investment and unleash their potential.”
Since its inception in 2003, over 2,700 companies have benefitted from entering the competition and previous overall winners hail from across Ireland and Northern Ireland, spanning a range of sectors.
Among the winning Seedcorn alumni is Galway-based NUA Surgical, with the med-tech firm named overall winner and picking up the top prize of €100,000 in 2020.
NUA Surgical is creating a medical device to aid Caesarean deliveries, and co-founder Marie-Therese Maher credited the competition with helping to make the company investor ready.
The closing date for entries is 1pm on 28 April 2023.
More information on how to enter the 2023 InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition can be found at https://intertradeireland.com/seedcorn.
