"Start early" was the message teenage entrepreneur Jordan Casey had for those attending the 11th annual David Manley Awards in Dublin yesterday.
Luckily, many of those gathered at the awards did not need such advice, as they were in contention for a prize to recognise and nurture the enterprising spirit in business, the arts and the social/community sector.
Mr Casey, who rose to fame when he became the youngest developer in Europe to sell an app on Apple’s iTunes store, told the audience that his early start in business meant that by the time he was 24, he would have 12 years of experience.
Trevor White and Simon O'Connor took the overall title, the David Manley Emerging Entrepreneur Award, for their work establishing and developing the Little Museum of Dublin.
The museum, which was nominated by Business to Arts, also won the emerging arts entrepreneur category.
The awards are sponsored by Ulster Bank and Dublin Chamber of Commerce. Mr White and Mr O'Connor will share a €10,000 cash prize. They will also benefit from mentoring and other services to the tune of €100,000 from companies including Mason Hayes & Curran, Deloitte, Content Kings, Kendlebell and Thesaurus Software.
Presenting the award, Dr Chris Horn, chairman of the judging panel, said the panel was looking for a project upon which the prize could have a "tremendous transformative impact". He also said the winners resonated the most with the late business strategy consultant, David Manley.
'Clear vision'
"Like him, they are passionate, full of energy and positivity, are great lateral thinkers and highly engaging. They have a very clear vision and road map of how they intend to fulfil it."
Anthony Glynn and James Sherlock of Ár-nua Tec, a manufacturer of pico and micro hydro-turbines, took the emerging business entrepreneur prize. Fiona McKeon of Bizworld Ireland, which teaches children about money management, critical thinking and enterprise in a fun and creative way, was the emerging social entrepreneur winner. They each received €1,000 in cash and mentoring.
Tom Lyons, senior business correspondent at The Irish Times, received the David Manley Media Award. It is awarded to the journalist who the judging panel believe has best and most regularly covered entrepreneurial issues.
In presenting the award, Dr Horn noted that Mr Lyons was a “very worthy recipient” for his work championing Irish entrepreneurs and highlighting areas where the entrepreneurship ecosystem needed change.
“He has never been afraid to spotlight wrongdoing where it adversely affects business activity in this country,” Dr Horn said.
