Congratulations to DBS Accounting and finance student Oliver Bausor Day who has won the First Ireland/Dublin Business School (DBS) Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2011 with his idea for a smartphone app. The 21-year-old’s business project – which the judges described as innovative - is being kept under wraps until it is ready to go live.
The award was open to students from all disciplines within the DBS campus and Oliver was among the five selected finalists, along with Stephen Dee, from Glasnevin; Liam Shannon, from Rathfarnham; Sean Daniel Kinane, from Howth; and John Geraghty, from Swords.
Applicants submitted a detailed business plan setting out a business idea for a product or service. A judging panel submitted the five finalists to a Dragons' Den-style interview with a judging panel. Oliver will be assigned a mentor this week from consulting firm John Roe Ltd. and will begin to draw down the €25,000 worth of business services, office space and utilities.
“We were all very impressed with the enthusiasm shown by Oliver, as well as with the clarity and potential of his idea. This is certainly something that could be developed into a major opportunity,” said Roe, business angel and chairman of First Ireland.
Gerry Muldowney, CEO of DBS added ‘The DBS Student Entrepreneur of the Year Competition provides our students with a great opportunity to showcase their talent in a range of areas. We are delighted to be associated with First Ireland Insurance who are the sponsors of the event. I would like to congratulate all of our students who made it to this year’s final and especially Oliver Bauser Day, the inaugural winner.’