NUI Galway Student Entrepreneurs Compete For €20,000 Prize Fund!

The NUI Galway Students’ Union Enterprise Awards competition is now entering its second stage as six finalists battle it out for a €20,000 investment fund to turn their ideas into reality.Now in its fourth year, the competition seeks to promote entrepreneurship and innovation among the students of NUI Galway in both social and business enterprise.

Each of the six finalists, all NUI Galway students, now receives investment capital of €500 to develop their initial ideas further. A series of workshops hosted by members of the business community over the coming weeks will let the finalists develop their ideas ahead of the final judging session in March.

Galway City & County Enterprise Board, Online Marketing in Galway, Hammond Good Solicitors, Gareth Williams Accountant and Starlight Solutions are just some of the groups providing workshops.

Sean Kearns, President of NUI Galway Students’ Union, said:

“We have been overwhelmed by the number and standard of entries to the NUI Galway Students’ Union Enterprise Awards again this year. The entrants are testament to the exceptional initiative and creativity of students in social and business enterprise. At a time when real innovation and flair is needed, students are leading the way in creating the big ideas that will help fuel our recovery. The Students’ Union is delighted with the support that the Awards have received from the local business community and the university.” 

The final six projects are:

1. NUI Galway Student Managed Investment Fund

Operating a real-life financial portfolio under the guidance of industry experts and alumni, the NUI Galway Student Managed Investment Fund is an organisation managed by students, for the benefit of both the participants and the University as a whole. Martin Weitbrecht a final year BSc. Financial Mathematics & Economics student from Donegal, Conor Hanniffy a Masters in International Finance student from Athlone, Shane Reilly a final year BSc. Financial Mathematics & Economics student from Castlebar and Maurice Kelter a final year B.Comm (International) student from Tralee are behind the project.

2. Student Talks

‘Student Talks’ is an online knowledge platform for students to communicate their ideas, connect with other students and find out about courses and careers. Student Talks was created by Brian Slattery from Dublin who is completing his Psychology PhD.

3. Shuffleupagus

Margaret Tallott has developed Shuffleupagus which is a simple game for everyone who is learning Irish. Margaret is from Belmullet, Co. Mayo and is in the fourth year of her Phd in the Department of Management.

4. MyStudySheets™

MyStudySheets™ provides downloadable, course-specific study aids in mathematics to second and third-level students, aiming to radically improve student grasp of key concepts. MyStudySheets™ was developed by brothers Enoch and Issac Burke from Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Enoch is a 2nd Year BA student in History, German, Sociology & Politics and Isaac is in his 2nd Year of a PhD in Pure Mathematics.

5. QuisineReader

QuisineReader seeks to revolutionize the way we collect and redeem customer loyalty points through a visually striking user friendly application. Nathan Regan and Fergal Walsh are both final year Mechanical Engineering students and Galway natives. They have developed QuisineReader with Gearoid O’Connor a final year Computer Science and Information Technology student also from Galway.

6. The Big Yellow Thing

The Big Yellow Thing (originating from NUI, Galway) is an artistic project that aims to create modern and exclusive apparel for students, staff, visitors and alumni of all National Universities of Ireland. Michelle Campion from Tuam, Co. Galway developed The Big Yellow Thing and is studying the MSc. in Neuropharmacology.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony dinner on Saturday 29th of March in the College Bar, NUI Galway.