Kilkenny business set to compete with the best at National Enterprise Finals

Huwmo Ltd, a tech start-up company from Kilkenny is set to compete with the country’s best small businesses as one of the Finalists for the National Enterprise Award taking place next Thursday.

The company, founded by Shane Doherty, will represent Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny at the prestigious awards that take place on Thursday, June 18 in the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin. The National Finalist company offers a tech solution to the hospitality sector aimed at maximising hotel occupancy rates, boosting direct bookings and ultimately increasing sales. Founder and CEO Shane Doherty is a qualified actuary and has spent over nine years delivering data-driven solutions for life insurance companies, primarily with a focus on revenue forecasting models and profitability monitoring.

His cousin, Micheál Dunne, Chief Technology Officer is a software engineer and coding specialist who has assisted in the build out of a robust, scalable platform along with a distribution engine in the form of their Guest Community www.theguestcommunity.com. Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council Mary Hilda Cavanagh wishes Huwmo Ltd every success at the National Final and into the future; “The National Enterprise Awards serve to highlight the very best businesses that the Local Enterprise Offices are working with across the country. The diversity of sectors and innovation shown again this year is outstanding and the winners will no doubt produce businesses destined for international success.”

“These businesses have excelled in their areas and have the potential to follow in the footsteps of previous winners to become successful global companies.” Head of Enterprise in Kilkenny Local Enterprise Office, Aileen McGrath acknowledged Huwmo’s success within a short period of time, “The Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny is delighted to support Shane along his entrepreneurial journey and to see the evolution from an initial idea to an all-in-one software solution specifically designed for independent hotels”. She added, “Huwmo has been successful with awards in recent times; presented with overall winner of the Kilkenny ‘Start’ competition 2025 and the Propelor Bic – One to Watch Award 2025 and we wish him every success at the National Enterprise Awards.”

The Finalists compete for a total prize fund of €80,000 and along with an overall National Enterprise of the Year winner there are categories for Best Start-Up, Best Export Business, an Innovation Award, a Digital Award, a Green Award and a Female Entrepreneur award. The National Enterprise Awards are one of a number of initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices run, to foster entrepreneurship across the country. For more information see www.LocalEnterprise.ie.