Ireland’s Brightest Sparks Compete for €25,000 Prize Fund at Web Summit
Entry for one of Ireland’s most popular tech start up awards at Web Summit is now open. From today, Thursday July 16th, Ireland’s brightest sparks are invited to compete for the 2015 ESB Spark of Genius Award at this year’s Web Summit with a prize fund of over €25,000.
The ESB Spark of Genius Award focuses on high potential technology start-ups and is open to any Irish start-up which has been in operation for less than 3 years and has received under €1 million in funding to date. Entrants will be judged on the uniqueness of their idea, their level of development thus far, and their potential for future growth.
Paddy Cosgrave, CEO, Web Summit, commented: "The Irish tech startup scene is thriving and we want to highlight just how innovative and creative it is. This competition is a great way for startups to achieve an extra boost and we are delighted to feature the competition at Web Summit 2015. We can’t wait to see what Irish entrepreneurs have to offer.”
Paul Mulvaney, Executive Director Innovation, ESB added, "ESB is delighted to bring back the popular ESB Spark of Genius Award to Web Summit 2015 for the fifth year. We are committed to innovation and technology in order to enhance the lives of all our customers and this award creates a global platform for young Irish entrepreneurs to showcase their companies and their ideas. Previous winners have proven that they are worthy recipients by the continued success of their technology businesses both in Ireland and internationally.”
Past winners of the ESB Spark of Genius Award include Love & Robots, Viddyad and SmartThings which was recently acquired by Samsung for a reported $200m, and Datahug.
More than 22,000 people from over 100 countries will attend Web Summit this year. Keynote speakers include John Collison of Stripe, Ed Catmull of Pixar and Chris Froome, Tour de France winner.
ESB Spark of Genius applications are open from today here until midnight September 1, 2015. A shortlist of 15 finalists will be announced with all contestants pitching their business plans to a panel of judges at Web Summit HQ on the evening of Wednesday September 16th. The three finalists will go on to feature in a pitch competition at Web Summit in the RDS in November and the winner will be announced live on stage.
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Editors Notes:
ESB’s Commitment to Innovation
ESB is Ireland’s foremost energy provider with operations including electricity generation, transmission and distribution and customer supply (through its retail business Electric Ireland). The company has significant investments in Ireland and the UK including windfarms, and thermal gas plants, and is currently constructing a new gas fired CCGT Power Station outside Manchester. ESB recently commenced construction on a joint project with the Green Invest Bank to build a 40MW Biomass Plan on the Thames at Tilbury.
ESB is leading innovation in the energy sector in areas such as smart networks, electric vehicles and renewable technologies, and spearheading projects that will transform Irish society, such as the roll out of super-high speed broadband using the electricity infrastructure to carry fibre networks to towns and villages across Ireland.
To further drive innovation and identify new ways of addressing Ireland’s energy challenges, ESB has also established a €200 million investment fund to support start-up companies operating in the cleantech sector. This is one of the largest dedicated cleantech funds in Europe with almost 50% of its funds committed to investments in wind, solar and geothermal renewables and the energy efficiency sector, supporting over 270 jobs in Ireland.