Profile Hisham A Alnaimi | Thrift Medicine undergraduate course

What is the business about?

Thrift in Saudi Arabia is a great way to find affordable and stylish clothing. This shop has a wide selection of clothing for men, women, and children of all ages. Many of these items are vintage or gently used, giving customers the opportunity to find unique items at a fraction of the price.

Where did the idea come from?

I was strolling through the streets of Dublin when I noticed a number of thrift shops. Seeing the variety of second-hand goods on offer, I thought to myself that it would be great to have an online thrift shop. I decided to explore this idea further and eventually opened my own online thrift shop, giving people from all over Saudi Arabia access to thrift.

What/who inspired you?

The idea struck me first when I saw a chance to pioneer in a seemingly new concept locally in al Khobar, and to then expand the idea to all around Saudi Arabia.

What advice do you have for budding entrepreneurs who have an idea that they want to bring to life?

1. Do your research about your market

2. Create a Business Plan

3. Secure Funding

4. Establish Your Brand and,

5. Build Your Network

Tips:

Starting a business as a medical student is challenging but achievable with time management and planning. Balancing priorities, leveraging transferable skills, seeking collaboration, and staying committed are key strategies for success.

David Byrne

ReaDI Watch Ltd.

BComm International (2018) | MSc Finance (Part-Time) (2020)

SFA Small Business Awards Winner (2023)

Finalist of Manufacturing and Supply Chain Award (2022)

Irish Manufacturing Research: Product Innovation & design

What is the business about?

ReaDI-Watch is a B2B Software as a Service company that helps small to medium businesses embrace and unlock their Innovation and R&D potential.

Where did the idea come from?

I worked as an Innovation and R&D consultant in a family-grown consultancy business. I led the project team there in brainstorming the idea!

What/who inspired you?

As a consultant, I was fortunate to work with stellar Irish & UK entrepreneurs - this inspired me to start a technology company.

What resources and support did you get from UCD?

We have been working in NovaUCD since we started, and benefit from the space, mentorship & community there.

What external support did you receive ?

We have been finalists in the Seedcorn Investor Ready competition, the IMR Product Design & Innovation competition and the SFA Small Business Awards (Winner). We have also participated in Web Summit on the Alpha programme. We have worked on accelerator programmes since we started the business, including New Frontiers (TU Dublin), DBIC (Furthr) Investor Ready Programme. We are currently on the IPOReady Accelerator run by Euronext.

What advice do you have for budding entrepreneurs who have an idea that they want to bring to life?

I suggest really being clear on what you want to achieve in your day to day. Is this problem you're solving, something that you'll wake up day-in day-out and drive to solve, or do you like the idea of being an entrepreneur, and the idea is secondary? If the idea is secondary to wanting to be an entrepreneur, I would suggest talking to people like myself who are in the weeds of it - is this a lifestyle you would enjoy?

My second piece of advice would be to "hustle with a careful optimism". Keep moving, keep following actions, keep progressing, and be carefully optimistic in doing so. If no one takes this approach, you'd have a world of big dreamers who don't act, and pessimists who prevent change!

What's next?

We have now found our feet as a business, with a team, with customers in Irish & international markets. We're now in scaling / growing mode, where we need to really figure out clear Product Market Fit and Go-To-Market execution. This is what I think about day-in day-out. I am currently located in Toronto, and plan to drive our Canadian business forward too.

Website: readi-watch.com

Kimberly Brophy | Naked Glow

Postgraduate degree in Creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship

Featured in Femme Radio | Apple Podcast, An Entrepreneur like you by Lorraine Mancey on Spotify | Irish Pharmacy news

What is the business about?

We are a Skincare and beauty brand empowering women to live a happy life and love their bodies a bit more. By combining skincare and self-tanning ingredients Naked Glow utilises the most skin nourishing ingredients in all our formulas to create the perfect balance between healthy hydrated and glowing skin. Not only does this weightless mousse glide onto your skin easily but it wears off just as easily and naturally, with no tan like smell and buildable coverage to create the perfect tan colour for you.

Naked Glow is ultimately a product designed to make you feel your very best, even when needing that extra glow, us gals tend to love! It is hydrating and delivers immediate show-stopping results while leaving skin with a seamless finish. We Aim to Improve Your Skin's complexion -We Aim to enhance your naked beauty, with our self-tanner and skincare range both for face and body.

My mission is to help my customers feel good naked. Feel confident. Feel strong. Fake tanning is transformative for both the mind and body. I created this selftanning collection based on what is important to me and for my skin; hydration, replenishment, looking and feeling good naked and of course that bronzed glow! With years of trialling and testing all different types of tans from wipes to lotions from too yellow to too orange, and of course been a complete tanaholic I knew exactly what type of formula I wanted and what shades the market needed and that was how Naked Glow was created.

Where did the idea come from?

I suffered with really dry dehydrated skin and couldn’t find a tan brand that was affordable for me that also kept my skin healthy and didn’t leave me scrubbing layers of skin of myself while trying to remove it, I was a consumer with a problem and with no solution to that problem I decided I would create one myself. With years of trialling and testing all different types of tans from wipes to lotions from too yellow to too orange, and of course being a complete tanaholic I knew exactly what type of formula I wanted and what shades the market needed and that was how Naked Glow was created.

What advice do you have for budding entrepreneurs who have an idea that they want to bring to life?

Do something you care about and have a passion for. Do your market research and spend wisely. Have a business plan and set realistic goals.

Website: nakedglow.ie

Did you know:

Two in every three entrepreneurs expect to use more digital technology to sell products or services in the next 6 months

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (2022)

Stephen O’Dwyer | Trojan Track

B.Eng Biomedical Engineering (2021)

What is the business about?

We are revolutionising the equine industry by combining biomechanical analysis with cutting-edge deep neural network technology. Our innovative solution provides quick and accurate analysis of a horse’s movement and performance, all with just a smartphone camera and tripod – eliminating the need for any wearables.

Where did the idea come from?

During my final year thesis, I was introduced to markerless motion tracking on humans. From my passion for the sport, I realised that this technology would be very useful for injury detection and analysis on racehorses as they are generally analysed by eye or by feel, with many injuries going unnoticed.

What/who inspired you?

Having the ability to work directly and make an impact in an industry that I was such a big fan of. This, combined with the ability to work on all aspects of a business, not just doing one specific job really enticed me.

What external support did you receive ?

A programme that I can’t recommend enough is Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers. They have a Phase 1 programme that is either on two weekends or a few nights a week depending on the cohort that delves into the basis of the idea and how to evaluate if it is worth pursuing. The Phase 2 lasts 6 months and is a funded accelerator that allows you work on the business full-time by providing you with a monthly stipend. These funnel you into the Enterprise Ireland network where you can receive early stage funding of up to €100k.

What advice do you have for budding entrepreneurs who have an idea that they want to bring to life?

If you can truthfully tell yourself that your idea is solving a significant problem, then go for it. Especially coming out of college when time and energy may be on your side. Talk to one of the accelerator programmes such as New Frontiers, DogPatch Labs, Furthr etc. They will have guided hundreds of people in a similar position to take the first steps. Approach your Local Enterprise Office as there are starting grants you can avail of from these.

Website: www.trojantrack.ie

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