Tony Corrigan from TenderScout, Emer O'Daly from Love & Robots, and Eimear O'Carroll from Restored Hearing, who last night made it through to the final round of the ESB Spark of Genius Award. Photo by Conor McCabe Photography
Three start-ups, TenderScout, Restored Hearing and Love & Robots, have made it through to the next stage of the ESB Spark of Genius Awards at the 2014 Web Summit, where they will vie for a €25,000 cash prize.
Last night at an event in the NDRC at Dublin’s Digital Hub, 30 start-ups involving a panoply of ideas and technologies embarked on a marathon of pitches before a judging panel that included Niamh Bushnell, Dublin commissioner for start-ups; John McKiernan, business development at ESB; David O’Kelly from KPMG; and Mary Moloney from CoderDojo Foundation.
TenderScout SaaS aims to increase the likelihood of success when competing for public-sector contracts.
Restored Hearing provides scientific solutions to problems with hearing. Its mission is to protect people from tinnitus and promote healthy hearing.
Love & Robots, formerly known as FabAllThings, is an interactive design brand that uses 3D printing to create unique products on behalf of its growing design community.
Past winners of the ESB Spark of Genius competition include Viddyad, Datahug and SmartThings, recently acquired by Samsung for a reported US$200m.
“The companies that pitched their ideas here today, and in particular the three companies that have made it through to the final of ESB Spark of Genius, highlight the talent and entrepreneurial spirit that exists in Ireland today,” said McKiernan.
“The success of previous winners proves that this competition is an important launch pad to the world tech stage, and ESB is delighted to help them on their journey.”
The Web Summit, which is expected to attract 20,000 people from more than 100 countries, will take place at various venues throughout Dublin City from 4-6 November, with the main conference taking place in the RDS.
