Three Ireland’s first round of the Grants for Small Business programme has been a resounding success, with the 10 winners announced.

Around 1500 entries were received; the scheme was open to small businesses based in the Republic of Ireland, who have been trading for a minimum of six months, with a workforce of nine employees or less.

The next step was whittling the entries down to a shortlist of 20, who were then judged by a panel of business and enterprise experts. Leading the panel was Padraig Sheerin, head of SME at Three Ireland. “It was a privilege to hear the finalists tell their stories…we were looking for a number of things including the likely impact the grant would have on the business as well as on the community,” he said.

The panel was thrilled by the strong social theme evident in many of the entries. ByoWave in Galway is pioneering customised handsets for gamers with disabilities. AgriGuardian is focused on farm safety for the vulnerable by developing a wearable device that alerts them to danger zones. Her Sport is a digital platform that wants to close the gap on under-representation, especially media coverage, of women in sport.

Each of the 10 winners receives €5,000 in cash along with another €5,000 worth of advice, support and connectivity solutions from Three Ireland’s expert business advisers, to reach their goals faster and more cost effectively.

“Lots of businesses had bricks-and-mortar premises and have moved to the virtual world,” Sheerin said. “It’s not about static locations any more. It’s about working from anywhere. We can offer them a solution where they have their fixed line number on their mobile device and can use it anywhere in the world.”

Read the story in the Irish Times.
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