A software company from Kildare has been named the overall winner at this year's National Enterprise Awards.
DreamDev Technologies has developed a new AI augmented platform which aims to help companies reduce the amount of time it takes to get their products to market.
The company was set up in 2019 by Eoin Barry and Douglas Augiar, with the aim of using online tools and software to enable faster digitalisation for companies.
Speaking on Morning Ireland, Mr Barry said it was a huge honour to receive the top enterprise award last night.
"There were some fantastic finalists, so we are really happy," he said.
Mr Barry explained how DreamDev's flagship product, 'the dot-star enterprise' uses artificial intelligence to allow companies build the framework of required software, reducing wait times and the level of resourcing needed.
"Most companies that we go into, there are huge bottlenecks in the software delivery process," he said.
"I'd say about 60-70% of the work that engineers do at the moment is repetitive, so what we are trying to do is remove that and make it really easy for people to create the code and build the platform," he explained.
When you take away the bottlenecks, Mr Barry said a business is able to deliver more value.
"They're able to deliver more features and more to their end customers," he added.
When asked if the introduction of such AI technologies could lead to job losses in the future, Mr Barry said he does not believe that is the case.
"Rather than reducing the requirement for people, it is going to facilitate businesses to deliver more to their customers."
Mr Barry said the company is scaling into the UK and Europe at the moment.
He said they have teams in the UK and Spain, and will be launching in September.
"First of all it is going to be consultancy led, we will be using the platform to build software for our customers but there is no stopping us after that - it is going to go global," he said.
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The National Enterprise Awards, which are an initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, took place in the Mansion House in Dublin last night.
Announcing the winners, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke described the awards as the highlight of the small business and enterprise calendar.
"Year on year the diversity of businesses and the standard of companies that are coming through the process is getting stronger," he said.
"We should not be surprised given the innovation and endurance that businesses have shown in recent years.
"We have some outstanding winners but the finalists on the whole have been excellent, and this is very much the start of their journey," he added.
John Magee, Chair of the network of Local Enterprise Offices echoed that point.
"You can see from previous winners that this is the first step on a bigger journey and it opens many doors for them nationally and internationally," he said.
"These entrepreneurs are inspired to create businesses and employment in their own areas and to establish businesses that can not only compete here but globally," he added.
In addition to the overall winner, there were several other category winners announced last night.
Innovation Award
The winner of the Innovation Award was Cytidel.
The cybersecurity company, supported by Local Enterprise Office Mayo, has created software that helps cybersecurity teams to identify and prioritise the top cyber threats to a company.
Best Export Award
The winner of the Best Export Award was Eskimo Software.
The company, which is supported by Local Enterprise Office Carlow, has created a CRM and lead generation software package specifically for car dealerships to improve efficiency and sales.
Best Start Up Award
The winner of the Best Start-Up Award was The Black Stuff.
The mens care business, which is supported by Local Enterprise Office Dún Laoghaire Rathdown, is creating over 10,000 handmade soaps a week and has utilised social media to create one of the fastest growing mens care brands in the country.
Green / Sustainability Award
The winner of the Green/Sustainability Award was Living Green.
The sustainable living company, supported by Local Enterprise Office Donegal, create a range of products from organic compost and worm cast to wheatgrass and frozen shots.
One To Watch Award
The winner of the One to Watch Award was Drink Botanicals.
The drinks company, supported by Local Enterprise Office Dublin City, has created a suite of products such as natural based syrups, cocktail ancilliaries and dried garnishes that are being sold directly into over 200 bars, restaurants and off licences.
This year’s winners share a €50,000 investment fund.
Eight regional winners were also announced.
PRM Assist in the Dublin Region (backed by LEO Fingal)
Nutshed in the South West Region (backed by LEO Tipperary)
Watt Footprint in the Mid East Region (backed by LEO Westmeath)
Expat Taxes in the South Region (backed by LEO Waterford)
Brady’s Coffee in the South East Region (backed by LEO Wicklow)
Sleater Solutions in the North West Region (backed by LEO Sligo)
Zoma in the North East Region (backed by LEO Louth)
Grá Chocolates in the West Region (backed by LEO Galway)
Also honoured last night was Bevcraft, which won the Outstanding Achievement Award.
The company was set up by friends Ciarán Gorman and Darren Fenton who wanted to create an international business with significant employment in their hometown of Mullingar.
Their independent canning business and their mobile canning function allows small brewers to can and brand their drinks on site.
They now have eight locations across Europe, servicing 20 countries and handling over 100 million cans per year.
