Students from the University of Galway have won a prize for developing a software to help farmers monitor the behaviour of sheep during lambing season.
The team of the winning software called LambCam, consists of students Michelle O’Donnell, Shan Pereira and Maria Comas, who have won the IdeasLab’s 2023 Start100 student entrepreneurship programme at the University of Galway.
Emerging victorious, Lambcam received a prize of €5,000 in funding after the team showcased its innovative ideas.
They were one of 12 aspiring student entrepreneur teams that participated in the latest programme.
Entrepreneurs
The Start100 programme lasts for six weeks, is open to students of all disciplines, and is held through the student innovation hub at the University of Galway, called Ideaslab.
The programme aims to connect students into a community of innovators and entrepreneurs across Ireland, and then allow them to showcase their efforts on the university campus.
The teams competing pitched their ideas to judges including Paul Merriman, CEO of Fairstone, Evelyn O’Toole, CEO of CLS Labs, and Helen McBreen of Atlantic Bridge, and were successful in their efforts in taking home the first prize.
Dr. Natalie Walsh, director of entrepreneurial development at University of Galway, said: “We are excited to see a surge in interest in entrepreneurship across our campus.
“The Start100 teams have truly impressed us with their exceptional quality and innovative ideas, serving as a testament to the remarkable success of the programme.
“We are committed to leveraging our achievements and exploring new collaborative partnerships to maximise opportunities for our student entrepreneurs.”
Students in the Start100 programme received guidance from mentors in Galway and across Ireland, allowing their business models to be developed and networking skills enhanced.
Prof. Pól Ó Dochartaigh, deputy president of the University of Galway, said: “University of Galway is committed to transforming our values of excellence, respect, sustainability and openness into actions and deeds.
“Today we witnessed that first hand through our students in their pursuit of societal impact through enterprising ideas.
“The university, in partnership with our business community, plays a crucial role in nurturing their growth and supporting our people and our planet and we are incredibly proud of our student entrepreneurs.”