Lucy O’Donoghue is the new manager of the Exxcel programme for proactive female entrepreneurs in the Rubicon Centre, CIT.

A private, low-key Irish investment company has seen off strong local, national and international bidding interest to acquire two Cork office investments, one let to Apple, the other to Trend Micro, in a deal worth close to €8 million.

THE chance to have Apple as a tenant in a Cork investment property sale will catch the eye and engage the interest of strong investors nationwide — as will the promised 10.65% net initial yield on offer in the case of two building sales valued at €7.25 million.

A Cork couple identified a need for a wearable alarm device that runners and sports people could activate should they encounter difficulties when out training. And so Run Angel was born.

Innovative CIT student Vincent Forde has won two leading business awards within a week — CIT Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 and Accenture Leader of Tomorrow 2016.

Here are just some of the many success stories from the small and medium sized enterprise category.

The official launch of the Creative Digital Network Cork and its website will take place next Tuesday in Cork Institute of Technology.

When she moved to Cork from the USA 14 years ago, former journalist Jamie Monagan brought her favourite ‘blankie’ with her — now, thanks to a special programme for wannabe female entrepreneurs, she’s about to launch a business making designer throws.

First to market with a noise-canceling microphone that can be used by firemen and police in emergency situations, Cork company ODG Technologies is about to ship its first US orders, “In emergency situations such as fires, bomb blasts, and riots, communications can be very difficult because of high noise levels caused by crowds, sirens, alarms and explosions,” says ODG CEO and co-founder Mark Griffin who believes there is a global market for this technology.

Enterprise Ireland’s Enda McDonnell says they can help you go global, writes John Daly.

Radisens Diagnostics was recently selected as one of six companies to partake in the recently announced National Healthcare Innovation Hub pilot launched to support the development and implementation of new healthcare innovations.

Cork is set to host one of the world’s top 10 social media events this weekend for the second year in a row.

The AIB Seed Capital Fund has invested €500,000 in a new “tissue regeneration” company based in Cork Institute of Technology.

Baking, blogging and foodie facebooking

A scheme offering dozens of start-up companies the mentoring of experienced entrepreneurs is to be extended at Cork Institute of Technology.

Wavebreak Media will use €400,000 raised in venture capital to hire 10 people.

Intelligent lighting systems producer Adaptive Lighting has been named as the Enterprise Equity Genesis Emerging Business of the Year for 2012.

Cork: The Genesis Enterprise Programme, based at Cork Institute of Technology’s Rubicon Centre, which helps entrepreneurs develop ideas into real exporting businesses, is now recruiting for its 2011/12 programme, which begins in May.

A BUSINESS incubation hub, which opened a major extension yesterday, was hailed by the Taoiseach as one of the most successful of its kind in Europe.

A new €4m centre for businesses is being officially opened in Cork by the Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin today.