Over €41 million raised by Entrepreneurs who participate in the Entrepreneur Experience®
05 April, 2017
Wednesday 5th April - The Entrepreneur Experience®, a 24 Hour Experience, is a unique opportunity for 24 Entrepreneurs to gain unparalleled access, advice and mentoring from 24 of Ireland’s most successful Entrepreneurs. This year the Entrepreneur Experience® is taking place on the 7th & 8th April in Ballymaloe, Co. Cork.
Seasoned Entrepreneurs like Larry Bass of ShinAwill come back year after year and believe that this event is “the single most inspiring business best of breed learning event ever”.
This year’s Seasoned Entrepreneurs include, Mary McKenna, Tour America, who has continued to buck the trend by growing throughout the recession now employing over 50 people in Dublin and Cork with a turnover of over €20 million. Also participating will be Johnny Walker, Health Founders; Peaches Kemp, itsa; Bill Liao, SOSV; Colette Twomey, Clonakilty Foods; Jim Barry Barry Group, Patrick Hickey, Rothco and Pete Smyth, Broadlake.
Speaking at the event Johnny Walker, Health Founders commented, “The Entrepreneur Experience is special and a little bit of magic is created each year. If we can help the Entrepreneurs from going into the potholes and over the cliffs we have then it is worth the journey.”
Partners for this year’s Entrepreneur Experience® are Bank of Ireland, Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Grant Thornton, HOMS Solicitors and The Sunday Business Post.
Some of the Emerging Entrepreneurs participating this year include, Helixworks, named most innovative company at SXSW pitch event, thanks to its machine that stores DNA data in real time; Artificial Intelligence company Kami based between the StartPlanetNI Accelerator in Belfast and China; Blume Labs with the ‘worlds most sustainable LED light bulbs’; high protein wraps from Honest Fuel; Award winning Hyde Irish Whiskey and Modern Botany who is taking the cosmetic world by storm with their natural oil.
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The Entrepreneur Experience® challenges, tests and pushes the selected 24 entrepreneurs like no other event. There is no room for sitting back or complacency. Everybody is expected to get stuck in and assist the Emerging Entrepreneurs to come up with clear, concise and impactful strategies to grow their businesses.
Previous participants include Mike Webster from Mobacar a Kerry-based travel technology company who recently signed a multi-million-investment deal with global car rental brokerage Auto Europe and venture capital firm Delta Partners. The deal values the Killarney-headquartered company at €20 million. Other participants included Skellig Surgical who won the €50K Global Investor Challenge, beating off competition from over 100 entrepreneurs; Alan O'Herlihy of Everseen recently raised €8.5m.
Over the past six years the Entrepreneur Experience® has gone from strength to strength.
· 150 Emerging Entrepreneurs have participated from over 10 countries
· 80 Seasoned Entrepreneurs have participated, the top 20 have an average turnover of €54m and their average employees is 400
· €41.5m has been raised by 45 companies who have participated
Behind every great event are the partners who make it happen and AxisBIC have engaged some fantastic event partners who are all involved in driving and supporting Start-up and Entrepreneurship initiatives, they are Bank of Ireland, Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Grant Thornton, HOMS Solicitors and the Sunday Business Post.