Olive Maher, from Rosslare in county Wexford, is the founder of Preen, a social media listening company that specialises in helping talent-centric organisations to maximise digital potential through innovative social listening. Olive pitched her company to a host of potential investors at the inaugural Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers Showcase 2024 this week at South East Technological University’s (SETU) campus in Carlow.
Olive Maher, from Rosslare in county Wexford, is the founder of Preen, a social media listening company that specialises in helping talent-centric organisations to maximise digital potential through innovative social listening. Olive pitched her company to a host of potential investors at the inaugural Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers Showcase 2024 this week at South East Technological University’s (SETU) campus in Carlow.
Olive joined nine other entrepreneurs taking part on the New Frontiers programme who showcased their innovative businesses to investors. The event was also attended by sponsors META, UNUM, Netwatch, and Carlow Local Enterprise Office. Members of the regions wider business community also came along for the occasion to network, build connections, and find common ground with new business start-ups.
Olive is a current participant on the Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers programme that is hosted regionally by SETU at its Carlow and Waterford campuses. New Frontiers offers a second-to-none support for start-ups in bringing their business ideas to fruition. Developing an idea from concept to a viable reality is an immense project and so the programme offers mentorship, financial support, and navigational guidance for what can seem like unchartered waters for new entrepreneurs.
Speaking about the programme, Olive commented, “The New Frontiers programme likens to an MBA that combines generalised business support with strategic sessions specific to each participant’s unique business. I began phase one of the programme in April 2023 and received an invaluable introduction to the Enterprise Ireland ecosystem. Successfully moving to phase two, I was able to establish a clear business plan supported by extensive market research and validation, in addition to funding. I was thrilled to be one of three programme participants to be selected for phase three of New Frontiers which started this month. Reaching this phase will have a huge impact on Preen as we accept additional funding and have continued access to Enterprise Ireland supports.”
Long Term Goals
Olive, whose background is in digital marketing and front-end design, and specifically social media analysis, spoke about her plans for Preen. “My current focus is to establish Preen as the go-to social listening provider within the Irish market, while simultaneously building out the company’s team. Preen’s ideal Irish clients would be prominent Irish sporting organisations such as the GAA, FAI, and IRFU, as the company’s focus is on helping talent-facing organisations to understand what their customers and fans are saying about them online through social listening. One of Preen’s primary objectives when working with a client is to get them into a position where they are able to secure more commercial partnerships through data-informed strategic decision-making.”
Later this year, Preen is looking to apply for the Enterprise Ireland’s Pre-Seed Start Fund (PSSF) to develop its current semi-automated solution into a proprietary analytics platform. Further down the line, Olive and team intend to expand internationally with sights set firmly on UK and US markets.
Applications are now open for the New Frontiers Programme Phase 1 at SETU's Carlow Campus starting 17 April 2024. For more information, contact Gemma Purcell, New Frontiers Programme Manager on [email protected] or apply at newfrontiers.ie/register