Iseult Ward, co-founder of FoodCloud, and Gavan Smyth, Vice President of Virgin Business, via Conor McCabe
The final six start-ups in Virgin’s Voom 2016 entrepreneur competition include Irish company FoodCloud, with tomorrow’s (28 June) pitch deciding the £50,000 winners.
FoodCloud, a former Silicon Republic start-up of the week, is gearing up for a star-studded finale to Virgin Media Business’s Voom contest tomorrow morning.
Having competed against 3,000 entries, and qualified through a series of rounds, the non-profit has made it to the final six.
This means co-founder Iseult Ward is about to stand in front of Richard Branson and a panel of industry names such as Tyra Banks, Sara Blakely and Marcus Butler to pitch her company.
FoodCloud is a social operation that connects businesses that have surplus foods with nearby charities through a clever piece of software and, set up back in 2013, is going from strength to strength.
So much so that it’s actually down to the final three in the ‘Grow’ section of Voom 2016, up against Sibberi (bottled tree sap) and BioBean (recycled waste coffee grounds).
Innovative Plastic Roads, Vibe Tickets and Efoldi (electric skooter) are the three finalists in the start-up section.
“Congratulations to FoodCloud for making it through to the finale of the Virgin Media Business Voom competition,” said Branson.
“They’ve shown they’ve got the determination and innovative flair we’re looking for in a winner and I can’t wait to meet them at the final tomorrow.”
Ward will be pitching at around 11.30 tomorrow morning (you can watch here), with the winner of each section in line for £50,000, mentoring, £250,000 worth of marketing, a Virgin Media Business broadband package and financial advice.
FoodCloud will be at Inspirefest 2016 later this month, where the company will manage the distribution of leftover food to charities that could put it to good use.
Inspirefest is Silicon Republic’s international event connecting sci-tech professionals passionate about the future of STEM. Book your tickets now to join us from 30 June to 2 July 2016 for fresh perspectives on leadership, innovation and diversity.
