Holywood entrepreneur makes ‘The Ultimate Pitch’

Winner of the local Ards and North Down heat will progress to Go Succeed: The Ultimate Pitch Final

A Holywood-based entrepreneur has wowed judges at the local Ards and North Down Ultimate Pitch heat, securing their place in the regional final with his business that uses digital technology to improve the diagnosis and management of Parkinson’s.

Adam Lockhart secured £1,000 in investment for their business ParkinSense, and a place in the regional Ultimate Pitch Final in November where he’ll pitch for an additional £5,000 to grow their budding business.

The pitching competition is organised by the government-backed enterprise support service, Go Succeed.

Adam set up ParkinSense after a close family friend waited three and a half years for a first appointment following a referral for suspected Parkinson’s disease.

ParkinSense gives providers technology to assess and monitor patients beyond the clinic, with machine-learning technology to support earlier detection, predict disease progression and enable specialist teams to manage more patients earlier faster and more accurately.

Adam was among 10 entrepreneurs from across Ards and North Down to pitch at the local heat of Go Succeed: The Ultimate Pitch, held at City Hall, Bangor.

Among them was Phillip Billsborough of WonkyPeg Workshop who took home the Inclusive Entrepreneurship award for the development of Card-to-CAD, an app to turn a cardboard model into a digital CAD file. Meanwhile, Jason Hamilton received the Rising Star award for his business Koukan, a peer-to-peer marketplace for buying and selling PC components in the UK.

Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Craig Blaney said:

“A huge congratulations to Adam Lockhart, our local heat winner of Go Succeed: The Ultimate Pitch!

“Our judges had the opportunity to hear from some fantastic local entrepreneurs and learn more about their businesses, ideas and ambitions.

“Well done to everyone who took part, and we look forward to seeing Adam progress to the final in November.”

Heat winners from each of Northern Ireland’s 11 councils will progress to The Ultimate Pitch regional final in Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy, Co. Derry on 18^th November.

The overall winner who will receive the Go Succeed Ultimate Pitch Award will also receive a prize package including a photography session supplied by Brian Thompson Photography, a podcast recording session supplied by Attention X Studio NI, membership of Toastmasters, and a media training session supplied by LK Communications.

Subcategory prizes will include the Go Succeed Social Impact Award, the Go Succeed Inclusive Entrepreneurship Award, the Go Succeed Rising Star Award for the most inspiring 16-25 year-old entrepreneur, and the Go Succeed People’s Choice Award for the contestant with the most public votes. Each winner will receive £1,500 towards their business idea.

Go Succeed (www.go-succeed.com) is funded by the UK Government and delivered by Northern Ireland’s 11 councils. The service supports entrepreneurs, new starts and existing businesses with easy-to-access advice and support – including mentoring, masterclasses, peer networks, access to grant funding and business planning – at every stage of their growth journey.