Newbridge student chosen for prestigious business start-up programme

Newbridge student Sophia Ellis, has been chosen for the prestigious DCU Ryan Academy UStart Student Accelerator Programme.

This programme assists student entrepreneurs to take their business start-up to the next level.

Sophia, who a is a former Holy Family Secondary School pupil studying Marketing Innovation and Technology at DCU, has created a company called Pop-Up which connects small businesses with short-term commercial rental spaces.

Speaking to KildareNow, Sophia said: “Pop-Up is a start-up aimed at supporting small businesses who cannot afford long term rental commitments, enabling us to rent retail or office space on a short, low-risk and fixed term basis”.

This initiative allows small businesses like Pop-Up to focus on their work, while removing the hassle of searching for opportunities to sell or worrying about finance.

Sophia created the start-up with fellow DCU Marketing and Innovation student Cormac Kelly from Killeshin, Laois.

Pop-Up is among 10 companies on the UStart Student Accelerator Programme, with start-ups across the technology, food, science and the digital sector availing of strategic mentoring and business expertise. The programme runs from May 25th to October 5th.

Caption Cormac Kelly and Sophia Ellis of Pop-Up pictured above at the launch of the DCU Ryan Academy UStart Student Accelerator Programme.  The programme runs at DCU Ryan Academy from May 25 to October 5, 2016.