UPCYCLING PC ENTREPRENEUR WINS TOP STUDENT ENTERPRISE PRIZE
IRELAND’S FINEST YOUNG STUDENT ENTREPRENEURS CELEBRATED
A student entrepreneur saving 1,000kg of e-waste every year by building his own gaming PCs was named Student Enterprise of the Year, winning the Senior Category at the awards held in Mullingar.
Jack Cannon, a senior student at Clonkeen College in Dún Laoghaire, built his first PC at the age of 11 with help from his brother. He went on to establishCannon PC as part of the Local Enterprise Offices’ Student Enterprise Programme, achieving sales of nearly €40,000 to date. Cannon upcycles high-speed gaming PCs from old, discarded machines sourced from office clear-outs and online sales platforms.
There were also top awards in the Intermediate and Junior categories:
Intermediate Category: Suet & Song, founded by Michael O’Keeffe from St. Kieran’s College, Kilkenny, won for its high-quality, nutrient-rich suet cakes designed to support birds during the colder months.
Junior Category: Bumblebees, a team from Drumshanbo Vocational School in Leitrim—Antonia O’Looney, Sophie Gilard, Guiliana Keane, and Katelyn Murtagh—won with their invention WASP (Wire Anti Shock Protector), which allows farmers and hikers to safely push down electric fencing without getting shocked.
The inaugural Student Enterprise Programme Alumni Award went to Fenu Health, a company launched by sisters Kate and Annie Madden in 2016 through the programme. Fenu Health creates equine health supplements and now boasts five royal families among its clients.
Carlow was proudly represented by students from Coláiste Eoin in Hacketstown—Cathal Cullen, Saoirse Tyrrell, Jessica Doyle, and Lilly Murphy—who were crowned winners of the Carlow Student Enterprise Awards for their business Artisan Chocolate, creating handcrafted, high-quality chocolate products.
In the Intermediate Category for Carlow, the top prize went to Tullow Community School students Katie Wilson and Julia Berezanska for their mini-company Lavenda, which manufactures a range of natural lavender-based products.
The 23rd Student Enterprise Programme National Finals featured 85 shortlisted businesses in three main categories. Over 30,000 studentsparticipated this year in the programme, which is delivered through 31 Local Enterprise Offices and supported by Enterprise Ireland and local authorities.
The awards ceremony, hosted by Rick O’Shea and Louise Cantillon, included a presentation by Minister Peter Burke, T.D., who announced the winners.
Also noteworthy was “High Lift”, the Student Enterprise of the Year for 2024, developed by Sean Finnegan from St. Patrick’s Classical School in Navan, Co. Meath. His business, Finnegan Fabrication, manufactures portable cranes that fit inside commercial vans, helping construction professionals lift heavy materials with ease.
Gareth Evans, Chair of the Enterprise Education Committee, remarked:
“It’s been another hugely successful year for the Student Enterprise Programme. The calibre of ideas and the entrepreneurial spirit on display is truly inspiring. Many of these students, like our alumni winner Fenu Health, will go on to make a real impact both at home and abroad.”
The Student Enterprise Programme is open to secondary school students in Junior (1st year), Intermediate (2nd and 3rd years), and Senior (4th to 6th years, LVA, LCA, and Youth Outreach) categories. Participants are tasked with creating, setting up, and operating their own business, complete with sales of products or services.
Since its inception in 2003, over 450,000 students have participated in the programme, learning vital entrepreneurial skills. It is just one of several initiatives by the Local Enterprise Offices to foster entrepreneurship, alongside Local Enterprise Week, National Enterprise Awards, National Women’s Enterprise Day, and the Local Enterprise Showcase.
