27th June 2018
Awards launched by Aer Lingus to support rising start-ups in Fingal area
4 winners of inaugural awards announced - WeBringg, Hope Beer, MIAS Pharma and Buster Box
Winning start-ups to receive complimentary flights and expert mentoring to help further business success
Four rising Irish start-ups (WeBringg, Hope Beer, MIAS Pharma, Buster Box) have been announced as the winners of Aer Lingus’ inaugural TakeOff Foundation Start-Up Awards. The awards were launched by Aer Lingus in partnership with the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Fingal and Fingal Dublin Chamber, to celebrate and assist up-and-coming businesses based in the Fingal area on their journey to success.
These awards, along with the Aer Lingus TakeOff Foundation Business Awards in Northern Ireland, form part of the airline’s ongoing commitment to support start-up and SME communities in Ireland - a key pillar of the Aer Lingus CSR TakeOff Foundation. In addition to supporting Irish business communities, the TakeOff Foundation encompasses all Aer Lingus charity and corporate social responsibility activity including continued work with chosen charity partners UNICEF Ireland and Special Olympics Ireland, additional charity fundraising activities undertaken by Aer Lingus staff and volunteers, and the airline’s support of the Arts in Ireland through its Irish filmmaker competition.
Aer Lingus is providing the four winning businesses with the opportunity to expand their outreach to international markets for business purposes through business mentoring and assistance with travel needs and business profiling opportunities. The prize package received by the winning start-ups will include complimentary European and long-haul international flights, mentoring from key staff across various Aer Lingus business divisions, and exposure within the airline’s in-flight magazine Cara.
The four businesses selected as winners of the 2018 awards include:
WeBringg
WeBringg has developed a technology and process that has turned traditional 2-3 day delivery wait times into 90 minutes. Founded by Alan Hickey & Sean Murray in March 2016, WeBringg is the first delivery company to offer same day delivery for retailers and restaurants. With a fleet of crowdsourced delivery drivers, they provide businesses with their own pod of drivers to guarantee same day delivery. WeBringg recently competed at the Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur Awards 2018 and won Best Start-Up Business.
HOPE Beer
HOPE Beer is a range of premium craft beers brewed and bottled at Howth Junction, Dublin. Founded by old school friends Jeanne Mahony, Des McSwiggan & Wim de Jongh, the HOPE story started out at the end of 2015 with a core range of three beers brewed under contract, a plan to build a brewery and a dream to develop a first-class company. A few short years later, HOPE Beer is an award-winning brewery with an extensive and diverse range of beers and a growing presence in the bars and restaurants of Dublin and further afield. Although HOPE Beer is their main brand, each beer has its own distinct name, story and taste experience.
MIAS Pharma
MIAS Pharma Ltd is the brainchild of Ann McGee, a former Senior Inspector with the Irish Competent Authority (HPRA). MIAS Pharma Ltd was founded to build on Ann’s vision of accelerating and innovating compliant patient care. With the exceptional growth of the biopharmaceutical sector across the globe, MIAS Pharma acts as a catalyst to make Europe an accessible market for new medicines in the most time efficient and cost-effective manner.
BusterBox
BusterBox is a monthly subscription box for dogs. Each month, Buster Box delivers a box full of toys, treats, and other doggie goodies to dogs and their owners around Ireland & the UK. Founded by lifelong friends Gary Redmond, Liam Brennan & Paul Carrick in 2016, BusterBox aims to help other dog lovers bond with their pet and share in their happiness in ways that's never been possible before.
Speaking about award winners, Ruth Ranson, Aer Lingus Director of Communications said: “Supporting start-up businesses in Ireland is a core pillar of the Aer Lingus TakeOff Foundation and I am delighted to announce the winners of our first Take0ff Foundation Start-Up Awards. Launching a new business venture demands a huge amount of determination and commitment from entrepreneurs, with the first few years often proving particularly challenging. We established the TakeOff Foundation Start-Up Awards to help business owners during this early stage of their business journey to help them reach their full potential. We hope the bursary of international flights and exposure in Cara magazine will enable the winning start-ups to pursue new business opportunities in Ireland and abroad.”
Speaking about Aer Lingus TakeOff Foundation Start-Up Awards, Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Business, Enterprise, and Innovation said “I am delighted to see the collaboration between Aer Lingus, the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Fingal and Fingal Dublin Chamber. The new start-ups of today are the employers of the future, and we need to ensure as many as possible succeed. This is a wonderful example of how by working together the Government and the private sector can help support new businesses to expand and explore new markets, as they embark on their business journey.”
Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen TD, Minister, said ‘The TakeOff Foundation Start-Up awards is a wonderful initiative that will provide valuable assistance to start-up companies seeking to build a domestic and international presence. I would like to commend Aer Lingus, the Fingal LEO and Fingal Dublin Chamber for the great work they have put into the programme. I am confident it will go from strength to strength. The success of the initiative serves to highlight the benefit and value of private and public organisations working collaboratively to support and encourage local enterprises and it is an approach I would like to encourage. I would also like to congratulate all the winning start-ups. The mentoring and assistance they will receive will be extremely valuable to them as they seek to build and expand their businesses to their full potential. I wish them every success for the future.”
Ends
For more information contact:
Orlaith Shinnick/ Emma Byrne
Teneo PSG
016342500 / 016342557
About the Aer Lingus TakeOff Foundation
The Aer Lingus TakeOff Foundation is the overarching corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme for Aer Lingus, which encompasses all Aer Lingus charity and corporate social responsibility activities. This includes continued work with chosen charity partners, UNICEF Ireland and Special Olympics Ireland, as well as a number of charity initiatives undertaken by Aer Lingus staff and volunteers.. The TakeOff Foundation also supports small and medium sized enterprises in Ireland through the TakeOff Foundation Start-Up Awards, in addition to Irish culture and the Arts through the Aer Lingus Irish Filmmaker Competition.
Four Irish start-ups soar to new heights as winners of Aer Lingus awards
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