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STUDENT INC. 2025
The programme, originally developed by Munster Technological University and the Rubicon Centre, offers €4,000 in seed funding, intensive coaching from seasoned entrepreneurs and investors, and a hands-on learning experience. Throughout the summer, students will engage in workshops and mentoring sessions aimed at developing practical innovation skills and navigating the complexities of the business world. For the 2025 iteration there is a specific strand of the programme geared to the creative sector, Creative Student Inc.. This is being spearheaded by IADT Media Cube.
Student Inc. has already supported the launch of over 30 student start-ups, including notable ventures like Gasgon Medical, founded by MTU alumnus Vincent Forde. His company has transformed safety in intravenous infusion within hospitals.
Through a hybrid delivery model, Student Inc. ensures broad geographical reach, allowing students to stay at their home universities and campus incubators, surrounded by experienced entrepreneurs, while benefiting from world-class mentoring and training online. This approach promotes nationwide participation and connects students from various disciplines with industry leaders, mentors, and like-minded peers.
A recent enhancement to the programme includes the integration of Universal Design (UD) principles, providing participants with the tools to incorporate accessibility and inclusivity into product development from the outset. This forward-thinking addition ensures that Student Inc. continues to lead in fostering innovation that benefits all.
An external evaluation has awarded Student Inc. an exceptional Net Promoter Score of 85, placing it among the top entrepreneurial programmes worldwide.
“We are thrilled to see the continued growth and success of Student Inc., as the programme gains momentum and delivers even greater impact each year. With 41% of alumni launching businesses after completing the accelerator and an additional 36% planning to start a business in the future, the programme has clearly had a transformative effect. Students consistently emphasize the value of collaborating in multidisciplinary teams and cultivating entrepreneurial mindsets as some of the key benefits of their participation.”
Student Inc. Showcase 2025
More than 70 student entrepreneurs from nine Irish universities gathered at Munster Technological University (MTU) Bishopstown Campus on Thursday, August 21st to showcase innovative businesses developed during the prestigious Student Inc. 2025 summer programme.
The 13-week immersive entrepreneurship programme, now in its 12th year, is led by MTU and backed both internationally and by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and equips students with the skills, funding, and mentorship to transform their ideas into viable businesses.
Students received €4,000 in seed funding, intensive training, and the opportunity to work in campus incubators, alongside established entrepreneurs. A hybrid delivery model enabled nationwide participation with students benefiting from world class mentorship online, while still being connected to their home campuses.
In addition to MTU this year’s group included students from Atlantic Technological University (ATU), South East Technological University (SETU), Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), University College Cork (UCC), University of Limerick (UL), Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Dundalk Institute of Technology (DKIT), and Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT).
The programme culminated in a final Showcase with over 200 attendees, where each student was given the opportunity to present their businesses to judges, trainers, mentors, industry professionals, investors, and peers. The range of businesses showcased was diverse and spread across a variety of sectors, including the Creative sector, Biomedical devices, career development apps, AI assisted customer service platforms, food products, films, and games to mention a few.
At the showcase, awards were given for Best Poster and Best Pitch, which included: Sam McGrath from SETU for his business Draft Drinks Beverage Dispenser, Natasha Myers from MTU for her board game BrightSparks and Ali Zeeshan from TUS for his business which is a sustained release drug for methane mitigation.
Commenting on the programme, President of MTU, Professor Maggie Cusack, said: “Student Inc. is more than just developing businesses, it develops mindsets, attitudes, and skill sets and students with these skills are in high demand by future employers.”
Carole O’Leary, Programme Manager of Student Inc. at MTU, added: “Student Inc. continues to demonstrate the strength of student entrepreneurship in Ireland. This year’s showcase highlighted the creativity and ambition of our students, who transformed early-stage ideas into fully developed business plans in just 13 weeks. I want to warmly congratulate the award winners and commend every participant for their hard work and determination. We are especially proud that a number of this year’s cohort have already been accepted onto the New Frontiers programme, proving the invaluable pipeline that student entrepreneurship initiatives like Student Inc. provide to both regional and national innovation supports.”
Student Inc. 2024 Showcase - Echolive Article
Celebrating Student Entrepreneurship despite Global Pandemic
On August 26th, 2020, 29 young entrepreneurs were congratulated on successfully completing the Student Inc. Accelerator Programme at MTU (CIT at the time), UCC and IT Tralee.
The Accelerator Programme runs from June to August and is set up to encourage students to develop and grow their innovative ideas and start their own business. Students receive €4,000 in funding (purchase equipment and a wage to offset a summer job), expert training, mentoring, office space and the opportunity to learn from and pitch to entrepreneurs and investors.
Speaking on the day of the showcase, that was streamed live from the Rubicon Centre where the recorded pitches of the students were played, Carole O’Leary, Programme Manager said, “This year’s programme had to be adapted in response to Covid-19 restrictions and the need to social distance. My colleagues at UCC, IT Tralee and I worked in conjunction with the Technology Enhanced Learning Department in CIT to design a way to deliver the programme online and ensure students received the full benefit of the programme. As all training modules, one-to-one expert mentoring sessions and regular review meetings were delivered virtually over the summer, the online teams put a lot of thought into new ways of maximising the daily contact between the students and the support teams in the three colleges”.
“Developing a new business idea can be a lonely place, particularly during a pandemic. In normal times office space is allocated to each student in their respective incubators with access to their start-up communities, so we ensured plenty of social interaction each week, in a trusted environment, to help alleviate isolation and compensate for the lack of face-to-face contact. Fortuitously many of the CIT and IT Tralee participants were able to avail of the Rubicon and Tom Crean Office Spaces during the second half of the programme. We were delighted that we kept Ireland’s longest running student accelerator programme running and were very proud of the 29 new entrepreneurs who pitched on the day.
The showcase had an online audience of 150 guests from all over Ireland, including guest speaker James Whelton, an Irish computer coder, venture capital advisor, and co-founder of CoderDojo.
Shauna White of Komforoo was awarded winning pitch which was selected by an online voting system through Zoom.
More information on the Student Inc. Programme: www.studentinc.ie
Carole O Leary carole.oelary@cit.ie