Sass & Halo takes the crown in Council's £10k business challenge

The winners of Derry City and Strabane District Council's £10k Business Start Up Challenge have been announced
The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Maolíosa McHugh presenting Derry City and Strabane District Council £10k Business Challenge winner Aoife Doherty (Sass & Halo) with her £5,000 cheque. Also included is Tara Nicholas, Business Officer, Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) and 10K Business Challenge judge Leanne Doherty, Beam Centre.The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Maolíosa McHugh presenting Derry City and Strabane District Council £10k Business Challenge winner Aoife Doherty (Sass & Halo) with her £5,000 cheque. Also included is Tara Nicholas, Business Officer, Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) and 10K Business Challenge judge Leanne Doherty, Beam Centre.
The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Maolíosa McHugh presenting Derry City and Strabane District Council £10k Business Challenge winner Aoife Doherty (Sass & Halo) with her £5,000 cheque. Also included is Tara Nicholas, Business Officer, Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) and 10K Business Challenge judge Leanne Doherty, Beam Centre.

Taking the top prize of £5,000 was Aoife Doherty’s Sass & Halo.

The second place prize of £3,000 was awarded to Ryan Clifford’s company Derry Nice Things and third place, receiving £2,000 was Rowena Millar and Harkan Pyle for their company The Crazy Rabbit Ice Cream.

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This challenge targeted anyone who had started a business in the past year or who had completed the Go for It programme. The winners were announced last Thursday at Walled City Brewery and were noted for their ability to significantly impact the council area and their ability to create jobs.

One of the judges, Redmond McFadden from Danske Bank said: “To pick a winner from such an exceptional group of entrepreneurs was never going to be easy, but Aoife’s knowledge, experience and talent shone through as she pitched her business to us.

“Aoife gave up a career in the fashion industry in London to come home and create a business in the North West that is already creating orders from ROI, mainland UK, and Europe.

“Aoife knows her product and has a strategy to expand into clearly defined markets and as this business grows Aoife will be taking on staff in the very near future.

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“At a time when the North West exports most of its young talent, it is very refreshing to see one of our own return to flourish in our city.

“I would like to congratulate all of the applicants for the standard of their presentations and was delighted to see the passion they showed for their businesses.”