Saoirse Kelders, BComm (2022)

Saoirse set up a business a year ago with three other UCD students. She is currently working at Protex AI, one of Ireland's leading start-ups, and she plans to set up her own business in the future in climate change. Here are some highlights from the interview:

How has NOVA helped you?

NOVA was great, especially because of the Student Accelerator Programme where I met fantastic people, including my mentor, Mr. Raomal Perera, who led the Student Accelerator competition, as well as Mr Rohan Perera, a successful businessman and Dr. Lollie Mancey, Programme Director, UCD Innovation Academy whom I admire.

The Student Accelerator Programme was a month-long programme where we were introduced to a variety of topics through workshops on: how to build your own businesses, business canvasses, finance and projecting finances, pitching business ideas and confidently answering investors questions after the pitch, and so on. In the final week we proposed our business ideas to a panel of investors and Enterprise Ireland personnel. We won the competition and we were given a space in NOVA which provided us with a place to work for the summer last year.

I always wanted to start my own business, and NOVA was a stepping stone and a learning journey towards the goal. The people I met and the exposure I had shaped me.

How did you get Involved in the Student Accelerator Programme?

I always wanted to set up my own business and I had an idea. My friends and I worked on it together from the start. We were always looking for different programmes like the ‘Dragons-Den pitch’ arranged by Investors and Entrepreneurs Society, where we pitched our ideas, USPs, financial predictions, and so on to judges in five to eight minutes and won the competition. We also took part in the ‘Irish Students Entrepreneurship forum’ students where we met young entrepreneurs from all over Ireland, which helped us in networking and refining our business idea. One of the cofounders discovered NOVA's programmes, which is how I got involved.

What have the highlights of this experience been for you?

The first point is meeting Mr. Raomal Perera; he is the most valuable person I have met and has left an indelible impression on me. Second, my experience in NOVA reinforced my belief that I can successfully start my own business. It gave me confidence, which was super significant.

What advice would you provide to aspiring student entrepreneurs?

Join NOVA if you are even somewhat interested or inquisitive about NOVAs entrepreneurship. NOVA's programmes are beneficial to students of all disciplines, but especially to those with no business background. Therefore, do not hesitate. Setting up a business can be frightening but I would advise you to just join NOVA since courses at NOVA can change the trajectory of your career and it certainly did mine in a fantastic way.

Dr. Darragh Whelan Founder of Output Sports