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22 Oct 2025
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22 Oct 2025
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Susan O’Neill, Chris McGarry, Paula Carroll, Praveen Kaur, and Nicola Thompson, Dr Eugene Crehan, Brian Fives, and Dr Tom O’Toole
A Kilkenny woman has won the Most Innovative Business Idea award at the New Frontiers class of 2023 showcase and awards.
The award went to Susan O’Neill from Bennettsbridge, for Sulu Solutions, which is a blockchain payment system that saves time in effecting payments.
The showcase and awards night took place at South East Technological University (SETU) recently. Members of the South-East start-up community were in attendance in Waterford to meet the New Frontiers class of 2023.
“The New Frontiers programme has been a brilliant experience for us, we learned so much over the six months,” said Susan O’Neill of Sulu Solution.
“We were thrilled to win the most innovative business idea award, especially considering all the brilliant businesses in our cohort.”
As part of the New Frontiers programme, entrepreneurs have developed solutions for markets such as a renewable energy storage system, a blockchain payment system, software for designing 3D structures, an online identity verification system, a car sharing app, a portable gym, a facelift system, and a system for learning how to surf.
The founders of three of the South-East’s best start-ups in 2023 were honoured for their entrepreneurial spirit in developing innovative business solutions for international markets.
The Best Business Plan award went to Praveen Kaur, of Waterford-based Uoto, which is a peer-to-peer car rental system that allows people to park free at the airport and potentially earn rental income from their car while they are away.
The Best New Product award went to Tipperary’s Chris McGarry of Migim who supply a portable, full body training system to personal trainers and sporting facilities.
Speaking to the award winners, New Frontiers National Programme Manager at Enterprise Ireland, Paula Carroll said their hard work and dedication deserved to be recognised.
“The New Frontiers programme at SETU Waterford has a strong record in supporting entrepreneurship development,” she said.
“Nationally, Enterprise Ireland continues to support entrepreneurial talent and we wish the New Frontiers Class of 2023 every success in further developing their businesses.”
New Frontiers Programme Director Dr Eugene Crehan said the award-winning entrepreneurs have worked hard on Phase 2 of
New Frontiers to increase their knowledge of their target markets.
“They have engaged with target customers in a meaningful way to achieve the best product-market solutions for customers’ problems,” he said.
“They are now part of the New Frontiers community of innovative entrepreneurs who have completed the Waterford New Frontiers Programme at SETU.”
The New Frontiers Programme at SETU is funded by Enterprise Ireland and is delivered twice annually by SETU at the Waterford and Carlow campuses.
The second phase is an intensive six-month programme where participants learn how to establish and run a new high-growth potential company. Applications for the next programme are now open. For more, see SETU.ie/NewFrontiersWd.
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