€40K for bright ideas

A seed fund to the tune of €40,000 has been announced by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland. The fund will be out towards the 2020 Ideas Academy programme which is aimed at people with early-stage innovative ideas to solve social problems. The Academy also provides training and support to move from idea to action. Participants will have the opportunity to pitch for a portion of the funding at the end of the programme to invest in their idea.

Initially due to run in locations around Cork, Dublin and Galway, Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI) has re-designed the Ideas Academy in recent weeks to run it online and transition to in-person delivery, if and when possible during the lifespan of the programme.

Commenting, Darren Ryan, CEO of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland said: “We believe that there are social entrepreneurs in every village and town in Ireland and we want to find them. Now more than ever we need those who have the courage, insight and ambition to put forward a solution to a social problem, and act on it.

“Social Entrepreneurs Ireland is here to support on every step of the journey, and we hope the addition of the €40,000 seed fund for the Ideas Academy will help this year’s participants deliver even greater impact as they bring their ideas to life,” he concluded.