AIB and The Irish Times announce second year of the AIB Start-Up Academy

The Irish Times and AIB are to collaborate on the AIB Start-up Academy, an initiative to help start-ups and entrepreneurs throughout the country, for a second year.

The initiative was launched in Dublin last night, with two successful entrepreneurs and three start-ups taking to the stage at the Sugar Club. The speakers included Camile Thai founder Brody Sweeney, Java Republic founder David McKernan.

Start-up companies Cool Beans, GirlCrew and Herdwatch gave elevator pitches on the night. Isolde Johnson and Sarah O'Connor pitched their food product Cool Beans, while Elva Carri and Aine Mulloy pitched GirlCrew, an online and offline community for women. Fabien Peyaud of Herdwatch, a farming app and software package for dairy and beef cattle farmers, won the 2015 AIB Start-up Academy.

From May to November, the AIB Start-Up Academy will visit Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Athlone, Wexford, Killarney and Kilkenny to draw together a mix of entrepreneurs, mentors, and investors at gatherings in cities and towns across the country.

The events are for start-ups from all backgrounds and at all stages, including those who are considering embarking on a new business venture for the first time.

Ken Burke, head of business banking at AIB said, the Start-up Academy will play a significant role in the bank's on-going work to foster and cultivate entrepreneurship across the country.

Liam Kavanagh, managing director of The Irish Times, said the newspaper was delighted to be extending this collaborative project with AIB into its second year.

“It is a very meaningful way to encourage and support individuals in their journey to a new start-up,” he added.