As the academic year draws to a close, we want to take a chance to look back on what we consider to be a great year. From workshops to guest speakers with plenty of Lego in between; we are delighted to have been able to offer so much and engage with so many.

Below are just some of the highlights from the year:

Inspire Fest: This day-long festival celebrated all things entrepreneurship with talks from Tammy Darcy and Seamus Kilgannon, a number of workshops throughout the day and a local craft fair in the main atrium, showcasing the best of local business.

Female Entrepreneur Event: We had the pleasure of hosting Aileen Barron and Aisling Finn, two well-established female entrepreneurs in Waterford.

GROWTHhub Bootcamp: Over the course of three evenings, students got to try their hand at entrepreneurship in this interactive, hands-on bootcamp. Students created business ideas based on the UNSDGs which they then prototyped and pitched!

Guest Speakers: We were honoured to host a number of guest speakers during the year. The wonderful people we hosted included John O’ Connor, Gina Ryan, John Barron, Gary Walsh and Karen Harris amongst many others. We can’t thank our guest speakers enough for taking the time to join us.

And finally….

Our Wonderful Workshops: Throughout the year, we have facilitated many workshops for students and staff alike. These workshops have included design sprints, networking, Lego Serious Play and risk management amongst many others. We find great pleasure in knowing that the GROWTHhub has been home to many engaging workshops, whether delivered by our team or the wider university community. We hope that all who have taken part have enjoyed them as much as we have.

We want to thank everyone who has engaged with the GROWTHhub this year, whether as an enterprise, a colleague or a student. We hope you have a great summer and we look forward to seeing you next semester!