Carlow Company Wins at National Enterprise Awards
Eskimo Software, who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Carlow, were winners at this year’s National Enterprise Awards. The awards, which took place at the Round Room in the Mansion House in Dublin, were in their 24th year and run annually by the Local Enterprise Offices.
Eskimo Software, an innovative business trading internationally and developing software solutions for the motor industry took home the National Exporter of the Year award. Eskimo Software develops software solutions for motor dealers all over the world. They have developed an innovative customer management platform which allows motor dealers to manage lead generation, sales management and showroom tracking in a single cloud-based solution. The business has greatly expanded its international profile in recent years and now has a client base stretching from Ireland to the Middle East to Australia. The business is led by Conor Moran who has an extensive background in software development. The Export Award recognised the company’s strategic approach to identifying new potential markets and their use of state and other supports to enter those markets and successfully grow export sales.
Kieran Comerford, Head of Economic Development & Enterprise with Carlow County Council’s Local Enterprise Office congratulated Eskimo Software on their win: “This prestigious award is a testament to the exceptional dedication, innovation, and excellence in the field that Conor Moran and his team have shown. Eskimo’s hard work and commitment to delivering world leading software solutions to international markets have set a remarkable example for others to follow. Eskimo Software is a shining example of the success Carlow companies can achieve on the global stage, and I have no doubt they will continue to be a leader in international trade for many years to come.”
Cllr. Andrea Dalton, Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council also added her congratulations: "Eskimo Software's win at the National Enterprise Awards is a source of great pride for Carlow. Their achievement highlights the strength and vibrancy of Carlow businesses and I am confident that their success will inspire other businesses to achieve similar heights. Eskimo’s win also proves the benefits that any Carlow business can gain from working in partnership with the team in our Local Enterprise Office and I would encourage all Carlow businesses with ambition to build that relationship with our LEO."
The overall winner at the National Enterprise Awards was Dreamdev Technologies who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Kildare. DreamDev was set up by Eoin Barry and Douglas Augiar in 2019 with the aim of utilising online tools and software to enable faster digitalisation for companies. Their flagship product, ‘the dot-star enterprise’ software platform enables software engineering teams to create their own bespoke software programmes which deliver results with significantly reduced resourcing requirements.
Announcing the award winners at the Mansion House and after earlier launching the new Local Enterprise Office Policy Statement, Minister Burke said; “The National Enterprise Awards are the highlight of the small business and enterprise calendar. Year on year the diversity of businesses and the standard of companies that are coming through the process is getting stronger. We should not be surprised given the innovation and endurance that businesses have shown in recent years. We have some outstanding winners but the finalists on the whole have been excellent, and this is very much the start of their journey.
“The new Local Enterprise Office Policy Statement I announced today sets out the vital role that LEOs have in fostering entrepreneurship and helping small businesses thrive every day across the country. The Policy Statement charts a clear roadmap of how LEOs will align their work with the priorities of the White Paper on Enterprise and ensure that their high-calibre offering continues into the future. I pay tribute to the great work of the current and former staff of the LEOs who, over the last 10 years, have helped and guided small businesses in Ireland which are at the heart of every town, village and community and are vital to our economy.”
Several other companies won across a range of categories at the Awards, which were established by the Local Enterprise Offices to celebrate the impact and quality of small businesses across the country.
Innovation Award
The winner of the Innovation Award was Cytidel. The cybersecurity company, supported by Local Enteprise Office Mayo, has created software that helps cybersecurity teams to identify and prioritise the top cyber threats to a company.
Best Start Up Award
The winner of the Best Start-Up Award was The Black Stuff. The mens care business, who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, are creating over 10,000 handmade soaps a week and have utilised social media to create one of the fastest growing mens care brands in the country.
Green / Sustainability Award
The winner of the Green/Sustainability Award was Living Green. The sustainable living company, supportered by Local Enterprise Office Donegal, create a range of products from organic compost and worm cast to wheatgrass and forzen shots.
One To Watch Award
The winner of the One to Watch Award was Drink Botanicals. The drinks company, supported by Local Enterprise Office Dublin City, have created a suite of products such as natural based syrups, cocktail ancilliaries and dried garnishes that are being sold directly into over 200 bars, resturants and off licences.
This year’s winners share a €50,000 investment fund and eight regional winners were also announced on the night.
Those winners are –
- PRM Assist in the Dublin Region (backed by LEO Fingal)
- Nutshed in the South West Region (backed by LEO Tipperary)
- Watt Footprint in the Mid East Region (backed by LEO Westmeath)
- Expat Taxes in the South Region (backed by LEO Waterford)
- Brady’s Coffee in the South East Region (backed by LEO Wicklow)
- Sleater Solutions in the North West Region (backed by LEO Sligo)
- Zoma in the North East Region (backed by LEO Louth)
- Grá Chocolates in the West Region (backed by LEO Galway)
Also honoured on the night were Bevcraft who won the Outstanding Achievement Award. An example of a company who began with their Local Enterprise Office and then accessed support from Enterprise Ireland to grow their business globally.
Established by friends Ciarán Gorman and Darren Fenton who wanted to create an international business with significant employment in their hometown of Mullingar. Their independent canning business and their mobile canning function allowed any small brewer to can and brand their drinks on site. They now have 8 locations across Europe, servicing 20 countries and handling over 100million cans per year.
Previous winners of the National Enterprise Awards include Irish Yoghurts (1998), Obelisk (2000), Simtech Aviation (2008), Digiweb (2004) and Design Pro (2013), Terra NutriTech (2018), Pestle & Mortar (2019), Bevcraft (2021) and Aqualicence in 2022.
Last year’s winners were Advanced Cosmetics, supported by Local Enterprise Office Mayo. The Ballina based company were set up Noreen Hackett in 2018, before launching to market in 2022. As one of the only “concept to shelves” cosmetics companies in Europe they have achieved significant success, securing contracts with some of the biggest brand names in the cosmetics industry.
The National Enterprise Awards also celebrated 10 years since the inception of the Local Enterprise Offices in 2014 with several former winners attending on the evening.
