Enterprise Ireland launch the Founder of the Year Award 2024

Pictured (from l-r) at the launch of the Enterprise Ireland Founder of the Year 2024 Awards: Leo Clancy, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, and Founder of the year nominees Heidi Davis, CEO, Peri and Darren O’Reilly, Founder, Wholesupp

Enterprise Ireland today launched the High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Founder of Year Award 2024. The overall winner will be announced at an awards ceremony which will take place on Thursday, 17 October 2024 at the Gibson Hotel, Dublin 1.

This year 67 High Potential Start-ups are eligible for the award which will be whittled down to nine finalists.  Pictured from among the eligible companies are Heidi Davis, co-founder of Peri and Darren O’Reilly, co-founder of Whole Supp.  On the 17^th October, a peer nominated group of the nine companies will present to the judging panel, who will decide the final winner.

The Founder of the Year award forms an important element of the Enterprise Ireland HPSU Founders Forum. Now in its ninth year the HPSU Founders Forum, which is delivered in partnership with Select Strategies continues to grow with over 450 founders having participated to date from a variety of sectors including digital technologies, medical devices, fintech, food, engineering and construction. The objective of the Forum is to provide a platform for founders to help founders succeed internationally and scale faster.  

Leo Clancy, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, “The Founder of the Year Awards promotes Ireland’s ecosystem of entrepreneurs who have displayed the potential and commitment to building their businesses and realising their global ambition. We are delighted to build on the success of the Awards which is now in its sixth year, and the Founders Forum which acknowledges and celebrates high-performance, innovative Irish start-ups. I wish all the nominees the best of luck in the run-up to the awards night in October.” 

Ends

For further information:

Nicola Corboy, Enterprise Ireland 086 0210114 or press@enterprise-ireland.com

Whole Supp

Whole Supp is a Dublin-based nutritional supplements firm that was founded by Darren O’Reilly, a former professional rugby player with Leinster, and Dr Brian Carson in 2022. The business has developed a shake that is high in protein and nutritionally complete. It provides over 30 vitamins and minerals along with protein, fats and carbohydrates in one supplement. Whole Supp has, up to now, been an entirely direct-to-consumer business but is now branching out to work with retailers to reach more customers. 

Peri 

The business, founded by Heidi Davis and Donal O’Gorman in 2022, uses AI-enabled technology to personalise the management of menopausal symptoms. It can also help users to reduce the risk of disease in the future. More than seven million women across the UK and Ireland are going through menopause at any one time with over half of them negatively impacted by the symptoms. These symptoms can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. The tracker is designed to ensure users can regularly update how they are affected by their symptoms, providing physicians with a more accurate reading of their health when at scheduled visits.