28th January 2019
William Fry, Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2
Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD, awarded Daniel Nugent of Ambr Eyewear, the ‘Lead Entrepreneur Award’ at the TU Dublin / IADT New Frontiers Annual Showcase. Sponsored by William Fry, the must-see event featured entrepreneurs from Enterprise Ireland’s 2018 ‘New Frontiers’ programme competing to win the top prize.
Watched by over 100 start-up stakeholders, Ambr Eyewear impressed the venture capitalists on the Judging Panel with their success. Attracting customers in over 60 countries and with retailer Brown Thomas stocking their Blue Light Blocking Glasses, they are focusing on growing their distribution to the rest of the Selfridges network this year.
Daniel Nugent of Ambr Eyewear, said, “We’re absolutely delighted to be chosen as the Lead Entrepreneur for the New Frontiers Class of 2018. It can be difficult for a consumer goods company like Ambr Eyewear to be taken seriously, as the start-up world is dominated by tech startups. This made the award even more special! Thank you to the judges for recognising the impact that Ambr Eyewear has made in a short space of time, and thank you to the New Frontiers teams in TU Dublin and IADT.”
The Minister congratulated Daniel, the runners up and the other New Frontiers participants on their success. “The entrepreneurs’ drive for success mirrors the Government’s strong commitment to create jobs, nurture businesses and support innovative start-up companies. She added, “I commend TU Dublin, IADT, William Fry and Enterprise Ireland for their strong passion in helping entrepreneurs grow and prosper.”
Leo Moore, a Partner in William Fry's Technology Department, commented, ‘This is the fourth year we have hosted the Showcase and I'm delighted to say that the quality and enthusiasm of the New Frontiers participants was really impressive. I'd like to congratulate Dan on a great win and wish him and the other participants the very best with their ventures. With a client base including both Irish start-ups and established international brands, we at William Fry are committed to supporting Ireland's next generation of entrepreneurs. It's great to see so much talent and potential at the Showcase’.
Finn Murphy, a venture capitalist at Frontline Ventures and the Chair of the Judging Panel, added his praise, “Choosing a winner was tough. Each business was so unique as to make them almost incomparable’. He went on to give particular praise to the three finalists, who were chosen to battle it out in the final Panel Q&A, Unitek.AI, UtilityAR and the ultimate overall winner, Ambr Eyewear –- ‘Getting businesses to the level the finalists have achieved is a feat in and of itself. We’ll definitely be following their progress closely.'
The keynote speaker, Barry Downes, Managing Partner of Suir Valley Ventures, spoke of the fast progression of technology companies it the start-up space.
Editor’s Notes:
New Frontiers:
This is a national entrepreneur development programme delivered by TU Dublin Hothouse and IADT. It is funded by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland. TU Dublin and IADT deliver the programme, along with numerous other institutions nationally.
For more information and to apply to the New Frontiers programme please click
Ambr Eyewear
Their website is https://ambreyewear.com/
Programme Participants: A full listing of the companies showcased can be received by emailing the TU Dublin Hothouse Team at newfrontiers@dit.ie
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