The Innovators Entrepreneurship Academy has officially come to a close following a successful final pitch event at the Granville Hotel, Waterford, where participants presented their business ideas, progress and ambitions to an audience of mentors, Chamber directors and key stakeholders from across the enterprise and business community.
The event marked the culmination of the six month programme, organised by Waterford Chamber and backed by Waterford Local Enterprise Office and Klearcom, and provided participants with the opportunity to showcase the ideas they have developed, the progress they have made and the potential of their ventures. Each participant delivered a final pitch, demonstrating the knowledge, confidence and entrepreneurial skills gained throughout their journey.
The audience included representatives from SETU, Enterprise Ireland, Propelor BIC, Walton Institute, Waterford City and County Council and other key organisations supporting entrepreneurship, innovation and business development across the region.
The event provided an opportunity to recognise the hard work, commitment and ambition demonstrated by participants, while also bringing together the organisations and individuals who play an important role in supporting emerging entrepreneurs and developing the regional business ecosystem.
David Sinnott, Deputy President of Waterford Chamber, congratulated the participants on reaching this important milestone.
"When we launched this pilot programme, our ambition was to create something special for the South East. We wanted to build a programme that would give ambitious innovators the support, guidance, confidence and connections they need to develop their ideas, grow their businesses and make a real impact. Over the past six months, we have seen that ambition come to life. But tonight is not the finish line, it is the starting point for what comes next.
"It is my experience that the innovations that make the greatest impact rarely happen in isolation. They happen when great ideas are supported by the right people, the right expertise, the right connections and, most importantly, the right entrepreneurial ecosystem.
"In a previous role, our philosophy was centred around a simple but powerful idea 'Enabling Innovation that Matters'. I firmly believe that within this first group of innovators there are ideas and businesses that truly embody that philosophy. And who knows, some of the businesses we celebrate here tonight may well become the success stories that inspire future generations of entrepreneurs. That is an exciting prospect."
According to Gerald Hurley, CEO Waterford Chamber, "We are incredibly proud of the innovators who stepped up to the challenge of the Innovators Academy and I would saw watch out for these businesses in the future - Vernexa, Aoibhe, HelloWorld.ie, Locus Therapy App, Screen Waterford, Wayne Hutchinson Energy Advisory Group, AeroInfra, Wm Scanlon DairyTech, Ezmar Event Management, FMOps, PRS (Proactive Recruitment Solutions), PepperHustle, Human Edge + and Cocoa by Judit. A huge thank you must also go to the mentors who worked with the participants, Niall Harrington, Stuart Fitzgerald, Seamus Kilgannon, Mark Rohan , Liam Dunne, Jordan Casey, Louise Grubb, Patsy Carney, David Brennan, Michael Flynn, Robin Whelan, Derek Lowry, Donal Nolan, Larry Breen, Eunice Power and Derek Lowry and of course we couldn't have run the academy without the support of Klearcom and Waterford Local Enterprise Office."
While the 2026 Academy draws to a close, applications for the 2027 Academy will open in April 2027 and Waterford Chamber are calling on anyone who has an idea or wants to grow their business to apply. For more information see www.theinnovators.ie
