IT@Cork Leaders Award sponsored by the Cork Smart Gateway
For fourteen years, it@Cork has recognised leading companies and individuals in the Tech community, from global multinationals to start-ups. Cork Smart Gateway is proud to support this initiative and sponsor the Smart Technology Innovation Award at the IT@Cork Annual Leaders Awards
This award is presented to an organisation that has developed/integrated a technological innovation that has been demonstrated in Cork and shapes the cities and regions of tomorrow. The award criteria include the nature and creativity of the application as well as the innovation’s economic viability.
In 2016, it was VConnecta (now known as Ecanvasser) that was the recipient of the inaugural Smart Technology Innovation Award. VConnecta is a company specialising in mobile political technology combining political experience with the latest cloud mobile technology. In 2017 the winner was Solo Energy, an innovative Irish start-up with a 100% renewable energy supplier business model facilitated by a distributed demand-side energy storage network which shifts the energy supply for customers to periods of peak renewable generation at low wholesale energy price. wholesale energy price. For the 2018 edition, the recognition went to Grid Beyond, also a company focused on energy efficiency that controls and optimises energy consumption for participation in Demand Side Response programmes and smart energy services. The company was selected for the award for driving change in energy markets through their innovative smart grid technology, including the development of the world’s first hybrid battery & demand network.
The latest it@Cork Leaders Awards was branded as “Towards 2020”, a nod to the present and future leaders that will bring the Irish tech industry into the next decade. The Smart Technology Innovation award in this edition was for Keelvar, a software vendor optimizing over $100bn+ dollars in spend annually. Keelvar uses Sourcing Optimization and Automation Software for enterprise procurement teams.
The winner’s selection process has always been challenging, due to the diversity of companies and their achievements. The Smart Technology Innovation award will continue to seek innovative companiesthat enhance the reputation of Cork as a smart region. It also honours businesses that disrupt traditional business models in new and innovative ways.