CycleSafe, founded by Breda Magner & Evan Condon both aged 16, from Desmond College, Limerick won the Foróige Best Innovation Award for their business which provides a product that helps increase the safety of cyclists at night, by using lasers to create temporary cycle lanes.
Foróige, the leading youth development organisation in Ireland, hosted the Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Kildare St., Dublin on Tuesday 15th May 2018.
Sarah Leahy and Ava Cashin, both aged 16 from Desmond College were also finalists at the event for their business E-Rings, which sell stylish earrings made from stationary objects.
Rachel McPartlin, age 16 from Leitrim with the business Rachel’s Heavenly Homemades, which is a Gluten Free Bakery, won the Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2018 at the event.
The eighteen young finalists reached the final after competing against twelve hundred other young entrepreneurs throughout Ireland, over the last year in regional and county finals.
A Special Recognition Award was awarded to Davey Feeney, Tom Flanagan and Fraser Gaine who are founders of the business Kard in Sligo. Their business produced a discount student card to help secondary students live within their means. The boys were nominated by their CET Dervilla Casey, a teacher in their school, Summerhill College.
Seán Campbell, CEO Foróige, said “the Foróige NFTE Entrepreneurship Programme has multiple positive impacts on the young people who take part in it. Career aspirations increase; interest in attending college increases; business knowledge increases; leadership behaviour increases; and a belief that attaining goals is within their control significantly increases.
“Empowering young people is what Foróige does, and we are more than proud of everything the young people here today have achieved.
The companies represent Leitrim, Donegal, Sligo, Laois, Offaly, Dublin, Cork, Tipperary, Waterford and Westmeath.
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