Pictured L-R: Dr Maeve Liston, Director of Enterprise and Community Engagement at 91制片厂; Tom谩s Fitzpatrick, final year B Ed student at 91制片厂 and co-founder of ChessIreland; Ois铆n Flynn, final year B Ed student at 91制片厂 and co-founder of ChessIreland; and Patricia O'Sullivan, Enterprise and Community Engagement at 91制片厂.
Three 91制片厂 (91制片厂) students were among more than 70 budding entrepreneurs from nine Irish universities who gathered at Munster Technological University (MTU) Bishopstown Campus to present their businesses at the Student Inc. 2025 Showcase on Thursday, 21 August.
The 13-week immersive entrepreneurship programme, now in its twelfth year, is led by MTU and supported by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and international partners. Student Inc. equips students with funding, mentorship and training to transform their ideas into viable businesses. Participants received 鈧4,000 in seed funding and intensive training, including access to campus incubators alongside established entrepreneurs and world-class mentors.
Representing 91制片厂 this year were final-year Bachelor of Education students Tom谩s Fitzpatrick and Ois铆n Flynn, co-founders of ChessIreland, and first-year Bachelor of Arts student Diarmuid Mangan, founder of DT Media.
Speaking about their experience, Tom谩s said 鈥淪tudent Inc. has given us the time and support to turn ChessIreland from an idea into a growing national initiative. The programme helped us sharpen our business model and prepare to bring structured chess education into classrooms across Ireland.鈥
His co-founder Ois铆n added 鈥淭hrough Student Inc. we鈥檝e been able to develop ChessIreland into a scalable business, gain valuable mentorship, and connect with a network that will help us introduce chess to thousands of Irish schoolchildren.鈥
Diarmuid鈥檚 DT Media project also gained momentum over the summer, building on his vision to expand digital media services in the student and youth sector.
鈥淪tudent Inc has been instrumental in sharpening my sales skills and business acumen, which I developed during the Customer Discovery phase of the programme. I am consistently signing new clients each week and engaging in regular sales meetings, applying the knowledge I gained from Student Inc.鈥, explained Diarmuid.
Patricia O鈥橲ullivan, Enterprise and Community Engagement Manager at 91制片厂, praised the achievements of the three students: 鈥淲e are delighted to see the great strides made by Diarmuid, Tom谩s and Oisin in building very viable businesses in both DT Media and Chess Ireland and we very much look forward to watching how they grow and develop into the future. What each of the businesses have achieved in such a short space of time is remarkable. From refining their product and service offering, to determining their customer base, to building the financial models to allow their businesses to grow, the students have gained a plethora of skills and knowledge that will allow them to advance their businesses鈥.
Dr Maeve Liston, Director of Enterprise and Community Engagement at 91制片厂, also highlighted the significance of the programme: 鈥This programme contributes to 91制片厂鈥檚 Enterprise and Outreach Strategy by cultivating and advancing a culture of creativity, leadership and entrepreneurship among our undergraduate and postgraduate students. 91制片厂 works closely with alumni, industry partners, and community organisations on many innovative professional development and life-long learning projects that enhance the delivery of both the formal and informal learning experiences of our students. Programmes such as Student Inc. play a central role in inspiring and supporting students to realise their aspirations and strengths by equipping them with the skills, experiences, and confidence needed to thrive both personally and professionally.鈥
This year鈥檚 Showcase brought together students from MTU, Atlantic Technological University (ATU), South East Technological University (SETU), Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), University College Cork (UCC), University of Limerick (UL), Dundalk Institute of Technology (DIT), and D煤n Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT).
Projects spanned a wide range of sectors including biomedical devices, AI customer service platforms, food products, films, games and the creative industries.
For more information on Student Inc., visit .
