Kinsale Enterprise Academy
Building an inclusive, active, community of local entrepreneurs & businesses
Kinsale Enterprise Academy is an initiative of Future Kinsale. It leverages the incredible skills and experience of local experts and successful entrepreneurs to provide mentoring to businesses looking to grow their existing venture, or start something completely new.
KEA activities include the successful Startup Enterprise programme, 1-1 mentoring, expert advice and ‘mastermind’ groups.
1:1 Mentoring Programme
Kinsale is home to a unique number and mix of successful entrepreneurs, business owners and experts of all kinds We have assembled a team of over 40 of amazing mentors with experience in:
Tourism, retail, arts
Marketing, customer service, market research
Finance, legal, fundraising
Design, media production
Food, hospitality
Distribution and supply chain
Internet, IT & e-commerce
Startups
Mentors offer their valuable time to support you, at bookable times, according to your business needs. Some of the KEA mentors are profiled below.
Would you benefit from mentoring?
KEA wants to support local business owners, whether starting up a new business or running an established business, who feel they would benefit from an independent, external expert. The offer is open to businesses based in Kinsale, serving the Kinsale market, or with other affiliations with Kinsale and local communities. Support is offered to limited companies, social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations.
If you would like to apply for mentorship just complete the simple application form below.
What kind of problems can mentoring help with?
You may want help launching and growing a new business, running an established business and want to grow it, or maybe you want help in responding to the challenges COVID-19 and Brexit have brought to your business. So many aspects of doing business have changed, and yet there is pent-up demand for new products and services which is not being served. The landscape is changing for our community, the sort of tourism products people want, the hospitality offering, our retail experience and how we use technology in our day to day lives. KEA is helping us grasp the opportunities together.
You may be struggling to re-invent your product or service, or to find new ways of engaging with your customers. Your business model may have to change, and you feel inexperienced in making those changes. Technology, e-commerce, and digital marketing may not be your strong point. Your financial reserves might be gone, at a time when you see new business opportunities ahead. UK and overseas markets have become more challenging and expensive to serve. Your suppliers may no longer be supplying what you need in a timely and economic way and you’re being forced to look at new supply chains. As CEO you’re supposed to know everything, but you can’t! It can be an isolating experience - so even the Fortune 500 CEOs have mentors.
This is great, so how do I apply for some mentoring?
Who can apply
Applications are open to residents in the P17 Eircode, plus others not living in Kinsale but ready to run a business based in the P17 region, or in some cases where the business, though run elsewhere is deemed to have significant community benefit to Kinsale.
Application Process
Complete this simple application form. Once you’ve applied, you’ll be called by one of the KEA team to check on your needs and schedule an appointment with the most appropriate mentor(s) to support you.
When your application has been approved and you’ve been allocated a primary mentor, they will agree with you an appropriate block of mentor time for you.
To be as efficient as possible, business owners and entrepreneurs will need to be clear on the support they are looking for (i.e. specific challenges they are looking to address etc) and engagement with mentors will be on a time limited basis to be respectful of their time.
Once you apply, KEA will match your requirements to the skills and availability of our mentors. They will be asked to help and you will both sign a simple NDA to ensure two-way confidentiality in the process. Once the mentoring begins, you’re arrangements will be directly with your mentor(s).
What is the cost?
1. 1 to 1 Mentoring - Access to 1 to 1 mentoring services is free to members of Future Kinsale, based on your immediate needs. This will include time limited access. To become a member of Future Kinsale costs €50 per year or €5pcm, click here to join.
3. Startup22 Entrepreneurship Programme - Startups/individuals will pay a fee of €500, and it is hoped that students or unwaged people will be subsidised to participate.
How is this different to other initiatives?
KEA is about bringing together the physical, financial and human capital in the community - knowledge, experience and networks - to, help launch a sustainable economy for the future by building and growing businesses associated with Kinsale and to help them respond to the immediate challenges COVID and Brexit, and whatever comes after.
KEA does not look to duplicate services already available through the Government’s Local Enterprise Offices and Enterprise Ireland, nor does it aim to be another incubator or accelerator programme for entrepreneurs, but it aims to augment these initiatives and help businesses understand how to access them if appropriate.
Just some of our Mentors:
Colm O’Sullivan, Sam Hunt, Joe Bogue, Daniel J Coleman, Abe McIntosh, Alan Clayton, Adrian Wistreich,, Maeve Magner, Paul Moody, Conor Doyle, John Stanley, Michael Smith, Conor Hyde, Diana Sheehan, Johnathan Wallace, Ciaran Fitzgerald, Tim Chennells, Kate Taylor, Conor Doyle (No 2!)
Alan has worked for the last 10 years in Kinsale for SOSV, the world's biggest investor in early stage startups - food, education, agriculture, healthcare, consumer gadgets and more - and is Entrepreneur In Residence at Kingston University London. Co-founder Kinsale Fairtrade Town, and Future Kinsale. Startups of his own in food, hospitality, publishing, and consumer info. Big believer in communities taking the initiative in creating sustainable futures
Adrian Wistreich has spent 40 years in market research and analysis in the UK and Ireland. He's founded three SMEs, been MD/Chair of several companies and worked in the oil, music, publishing and arts sectors. Adrian has been responsible for setting up a variety of community organisations in Ireland over 20 years and currently runs Kinsale Pottery, and Strategic Development Resources, a market research consultancy. 'My passion is working with early-stage businesses to build their offerings around market demand'.
Colum O'Sullivan set up Cully & Sully in September 2004 with Cullen Allen from Ballymaloe House. The business became a multi award winning food company supplying over 5,000 stores in Ireland, the UK and Europe. Cully & Sully is the 50th biggest food brand in Ireland and the number 1 soup brand. They sold the business to US based Hain Celestial in 2012. Following a two year earn out, they created a new Irish entity called Hain Celestial Ireland incorporating other Hain brands.
Keith has 3 decades experience of working with startups in fashion, food and technology as well as having 2 tech startups of his own and running a digital strategy and project delivery consultancy for 15 years. He originally qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG.
He has mentored for the clients of a number of state agencies including Bord Bia. He works with businesses in the areas of adopting to digital change, defining and delivering digital change projects and optimising business models and operations.
He acted as chair of two National not-for-profits in technology and film and co-founded and leads an all Ireland network for real bread bakers, millers and growers of grain.
Advisor | Board Member | Start Up Mentor | Global Health Expert
Scaling and sustaining Innovation for Impact through market transparency, brokering partnerships in emerging markets, advising investors and mentoring startups.
Industry-renowned global health supply chain and market access advisor with over 30 years experience. Proven leader in strategy design, complex problem-solving and developing public-private partnerships
As a young man, I started my business life by buying a truck and fifty years later I sold the Moody group of Companies to the management. My journey had taken me into Engineering support, serving the Dairy Food and Beverage manufacturers throughout the world. As a serial entrepreneur, I co-founded companies in Ireland, Denmark, and the USA, ultimately successfully selling all the businesses to my Co-Founders. In addition, I co-founded a franchise business, operating in six countries and sold this to a multinational.
My success was to focus on a customer base, by building trust and exceeding expectations.
“There is no such thing as a self-made man. You will only reach your goal with the help of others”- George Shinn
Experienced in funding and scaling Early Stage and Accelerating technology companies. Extensive experience in Corporate Finance, Restructuring and Financial Services
An international hotelier with extensive experience in a variety of management roles within 4 & 5-star properties as well as heading up high-end concierge/ lifestyle management companies. Living in Zimbabwe early on in life instilled a passion for travel so working in the hospitality industry facilitated the ability to gain exposure to various parts of the world including Paris, Hong Kong and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Ultimately, customer service is ingrained in my DNA.
Joe Bogue is a Professor with the Department of Food Business and Development at CorK University Business School. His research interests include: market-oriented new product development, strategic food marketing, knowledge management and new product development, health-enhancing foods and functional foods, new product development strategies, food choice and consumer acceptance in relation to novel products, dairy supply chains and entrepreneurship
I am an experienced entrepreneur with a number of tech start-ups under his belt. After working as R&D Director in Apple Cork for many years, followed by a stint in Motorola Cork managing their GSM software development, I set up GlobeTech with his co-founder Kevin Kelly, back in 2000. GlobeTech has grown to be a very successful enterprise providing software services to major clients, as well as developing a range of products for the parking and events industry, with successes from London Olympics, to Glastonbury, Tour de France, SuperBowl and many others. Very recently I started EventFalcon, with a focus on very large outdoor events, and was about to go live with impeccable timing in April 2020! But my passion is technology and seeing novel solutions being used to great effect by our clients.
Bullseye Food Marketing is a world-class provider of brand development, marketing, and specialist food business development solutions, custom-built for the FMCG sector. We create close partnerships with our food business customers, working seamlessly with them at every stage of business development, delivering tailor-made marketing solutions to suit their ever-changing needs.
Our expert team members have all worked for many years within the food industry and as such we truly understand your food business needs. We have the practical experience and expertise to take your food brand to the next level.
Abe has over 25 years experience in large blue chip organisations such as Vodafone, Baxter Healthcare and Motorola, working at the Chief and Director level - leading the strategy and execution of Global and Regional Information Technology and Communications programs and operations, supporting top line grown and managing bottom line efficiencies. Recently Abe has co-founded his own low-code company @ tangle.io and has his own consultancy business.
Startup24 Enterprise Programme
The first Startup22 enterprise programme in Kinsale ran from early February to April 2022 with 17 participants getting great training and support in starting a new business from a group of expert mentors, many of whom are Future Kinsale members and all of whom are volunteering their valuable time. The programme has been a great success, and has been described as inspiring and exciting by participants.
“I don’t ever recall being so enthused and excited to be part of such a genuine, supportive group of impressively successful business people.”
— Participant on 1st Startup22 Programme
“The best thing.. is the comprehensive commitment of support from such a large sea of mentors.”
— Participant on 1st Startup22 Programme
The second round of Startup22 will run from September to December 2022. There will be three parts to the programme:
Introductory Enterprise Weekend
6-7 module weekly programme
Dragons Den Pitch weekend.
If you would like to find out more or apply for a place on Startup22 Round 2, click on the link below.
Are you looking to make a contribution to the future development of enterprise in Kinsale?
We would like to make the Startup22 programme accessible for more young people and adults in the community to take part in the future and to continue to build a healthy, sustainable community - together. So we are welcoming sponsors on the programme who are willing to cover the cost of one person (€500) or more to take part. Together we can make an impact and support the future of Kinsale! You can sponsor a place here.
FK Mastermind Groups
Future Kinsale also co-ordinates a number of Mastermind groups. These groups provide support, expertise, and networking opportunities for businesses from similar sectors to learn from each other and perhaps launch new initiatives. To find out more email: info@futurekinsale.ie