The largest student start-up programme in the country has been launched today in its 24th year. The Student Enterprise Programme, an initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, has seen over 500,000 students take part since it began.
The Student Enterprise Programme, which is funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country, saw over 30,000 students from almost 500 secondary schools across the country take part in 2024/2025.
Participating students will compete across three categories, Junior (1st year), Intermediate (2nd and 3rd year) and Senior (4th, 5th and 6th year, LVA, LCA and Youth Outreach). Each student enterprise is challenged with creating, setting up and running their own business, which must show viable sales of their service or product.
The best student start-ups from each school will then progress to county and regional finals. Students will then be chosen to be selected for the National Finals on the 7th May, where the Student Enterprise of the Year for 2026 will be named, along with winners across the other categories.
Gareth Evans, Chair of the Enterprise Education Committee, Local Enterprise Offices, said, "The Student Enterprise Programme really highlights the appetite for entrepreneurship within our school system. In recent years, we have seen a steady increase in participation year on year. There have been some amazing start-ups come out of Ireland, punching well above their weight internationally, and I think this is helping to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs here.
"Irrespective of what these students go on to do in their lives they will have learned some invaluable skills taking part in this programme that will help them in their future careers. We're looking forward to seeing what the Student Enterprise Programme Class of 2026 put forward!"
The second Alumni Achievement Award for the Student Enterprise Programme will also be handed out in May. The award celebrates former programme participants who have gone on to achieve exceptional success in business. The inaugural award went to sisters Kate and Annie Madden from Fenu Health. Participants in the Student Enterprise Programme in 2016, the company creates supplements for equine health and their customers include five royal families.
This year will also see a new award with a Start-Up Stories Competition. This competition is for Junior Cycle students only, and it asks them to imagine themselves as an entrepreneur at a future stage of their lives, having set up a business. Students are asked to write their fictitious story of how they became an entrepreneur, came up with their idea, got funding, overcame obstacles, lessons learned and skills they needed. The objective is to get students thinking and developing ideas around entrepreneurship.
The Student Enterprise of the Year for 2025 was "Cannon PC" from Clonkeen College, Dun Laoghaire in County Dublin. The start-up, created by student Jack Cannon, built upcycled high-speed gaming PCs from old PCs being disposed of in office clear-outs and for general sale online. Cannon PC achieved €40,000 in sales while also saving 1,000 kg of e-waste every year. For more information on the programme, visit https://www.studententerprise.ie/.
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