Dublin City company finds success at the National Enterprise Awards

Dublin company ExamRevision share a €80,000 investment fund among nine regional winners at this year's National Enterprise Awards

News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 14:34, 24 Jun 2026 View Image Pictured are the winners of Peter Sheridan Dublin City Enterprise Award 2026 Keith Walsh, Áine Devlin and Paddy Ward, the founders of ExamRevision (Image: Fennell Photography )

Dublin company ExamRevision were crowned winners at this year’s National Enterprise Awards.

ExamRevision was founded by three secondary school teachers to take learning beyond the classroom and make best use of technology for study. Supported by the Local Enterprise Office Dublin City, they provide interactive tools and are trusted by one in three secondary schools across the country.

The 26th annual National Enterprise Awards took place in the Mansion House last Thursday and is run by the Local Enterprise Offices. Accepting the award on behalf of ExamRevision, co-founder Paddy Ward said “what began as a simple idea between three teachers” has grown into “Ireland’s ‘21st Century Textbook’”.

“As a teaching and learning platform, our mission is to Simplify Revision, Empower Teachers and Elevate Learning. We are delighted that the National Enterprise Awards has recognised our vision and this recognition provides great encouragement as we continue to grow and innovate.

“We are honoured to be recognised alongside so many outstanding businesses and entrepreneurs . This award is a testament to the dedication of our team, the trust placed in us by the schools we work with and our ongoing commitment to making high-quality teaching and learning resources more accessible to secondary schools across Ireland.”

The overall winner at the National Enterprise Awards was Sugar Plum Sweetery who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Westmeath. The self styled “Irish Willy Wonka” business set up by Denise Buckley and David Quirke established the destination sweet and chocolate store in 2022 but it’s been their ability to monetise trends that saw them increase revenue from 2024 to 2025 by 815%.

With two stores in Mullingar and Kildare Village, Sugar Plum Sweetery plans to expand across Ireland and the UK in the next 18 months. They also stand as a top Irish retailer on TikTok shop.

This year’s winners share a €80,000 investment fund and nine regional winners were also announced on the night and the overall winner was chosen from these regional awards. Those winners were:

Several other companies won across a range of categories, which were established to celebrate the impact and quality of small businesses across the country. Those award winners were:

The winner of the Best Export Business was The Smooth Company supported by Local Enterprise Office South Dublin. The company, set up by EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year in 2025 Aine Kennedy, has taken the beauty world by storm with their range of hair products aimed at taking the stress out of hair care, including their record breaking launch product The Smooth Stick now exporting to over 90 countries.

The winner of the Innovation Award was I/O Agri, supported by Local Enterprise Office Cavan. As pressure increases on the agriculture industry to reduce emissions, I/O Agri founders Sandra Thompson and Shane O’Reilly have created a system for trapping emissions for farmers and converting these emissions into by-products that can be used for renewable energy production, lowering emissions and creating a new income stream.

The winner of the Best Start-Up Award was RYSE Chocolate supported by Local Enterprise Office Meath . The company set up by brothers in-law Ian O’Rourke and David Stone put a new twist on the energy market creating Europe’s first caffeinated chocolate bar and will soon be launching into the UK and US.

The winner of the Green Award was Accelerating Change Together (ACT) supported by Local Enterprise Office Mayo. Founded by James McConville, ACT brings together architects, urban designers and policy specialists to help reimage how Ireland designs its towns, buildings and communities for a more sustainable future.

The winner of the Digital Award was Photo Experience supported by Local Enterprise Office Offaly. Dean Kelly, founder of Photo Experience, works with theme parks, zoos, museums and visitor attractions to capture guests' experiences and deliver photos straight to their phones.

The winner of the Female Entrepreneur Award was Therese Murphy from Equi-Ed supported by Local Enterprise Office Kildare. Based at the National Equine Innovation Centre at the National Stud, Equi-Ed provides professional equine therapy training, certifications and specialist courses for horse owners and equine professionals.

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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