Ten entrepreneurs from across the Derry City and Strabane District Council area have been shortlisted for this year’s Go Succeed: The Ultimate Pitch, with the finalists now preparing to pitch their business ideas for the chance to secure investment and progress to the regional final.

The local heat will take place on Tuesday 6th October where the finalists will pitch to a panel of judges from across the local business and civic community. The winner will receive £1,000 investment plus office space in Londonderry Chamber’s incubation hub with a membership of the Chamber for one year, whilst also securing a place at the regional final in November, where they will have the opportunity to compete for a further £5,000.

The shortlisted entrepreneurs in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area include Chloe Tinney Eakin of Brush & Banter, a creative studio and craft cafe; Patrick McCann of Pop-Up 3D, a navigation and operational intelligence platform for temporary venues; Pavel Cherkashin of AI-First Engineering, an AI-first engineering consultancy to modernise legacy systems and automate manual work with AI; Dr Jaclyn Harron of LumenEdge Technologies, an AI platform to help charities find and win grant funding; and Lynne Kennedy of Forget Me Not, a memorial tribute website preserving and sharing loved ones’ memories through a QR code plaque.

Other hopefuls include Adam Doherty of Stride which uses software to give fitness coaches their evening back in relation to content, website, bookings and DMs; Rahul Shah of Studio Lassi, a clean-label, functional mango lassi drink for local cafes, gyms and delis; Tyrone McCullagh of Stout N’ About, a social app for discovering pubs, rating pints of stout and sharing experiences; Padraig Mallett of Dealer Control Hub, a simple all-in-one dealership management and sales platform for motor dealers; and Alan Kerrigan of R&T Health, a simple iPad AI companion for elderly people living alone.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Grace Uí Niallais said:

“Congratulations to all of the entrepreneurs who have been shortlisted for this year’s Go Succeed: The Ultimate Pitch local heat.

“The quality and diversity of this year’s entries highlight the wealth of entrepreneurial talent across the Derry City and Strabane District Council area, and reaching the local final is a fantastic achievement in itself. The hardest part is often putting yourself out there so well done for having the confidence to do so!

“We look forward to seeing the finalists bring their ideas to life and wish everyone taking part the very best of luck.”

Last year’s Derry City and Strabane District Council area winner was Mary Blake of SeeMe who secured a spot in the final with their AI enabled personal archive platform designed to capture the memories behind our images. Nomathamsanqa Tholo also won the Inclusive Entrepreneurship Award at the final for her business, Cultural Staffing Solutions.

The winner of each local heat across Northern Ireland’s 11 councils will go on to compete in The Ultimate Pitch regional final, taking place at Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy, Co. Derry, on Wednesday 18th November.

The overall winner who will receive the Go Succeed Ultimate Pitch Award will also receive a prize package including a photography session supplied by Brian Thompson Photography, a podcast recording session supplied by Attention X Studio NI, membership of Toastmasters, and a media training session supplied by LK Communications.

Subcategory prizes will include the Go Succeed Social Impact Award, the Go Succeed Inclusive Entrepreneurship Award, the Go Succeed Rising Star Award for the most inspiring 16-25 year-old entrepreneur, and the Go Succeed People’s Choice Award for the contestant with the most public votes. Each winner will receive £1,500 towards their business idea. Go Succeed (www.go-succeed.com) is funded by the UK Government and delivered by Northern Ireland’s 11 councils. The service supports entrepreneurs, new starts and existing businesses with easy-to-access advice and support – including mentoring, masterclasses, peer networks, access to grant funding and business planning – at every stage of their growth journey.