Waterford’s Cathal takes top national student enterprise award

Jonathan Earl, B2B Communications, Jacqui Gaule and Ciaran Cullen, Waterford City Enterprise Board collecting National Student Enterprise Award on behalf of Cathal Daly
16 year old Cathal Daly, a transition year student at De la Salle College, Waterford, was announced as Senior Winner of the 12th Annual City and County Enterprise Boards Student Enterprise Awards National Finals in Dublin’s Croke Park.


Cathal’s award winning company, “Upright Cycle Stands” produces hardwood cycle stands for bicycles with clipless pedals that hold the bicycle by the pedal so it does not touch the frame or rims of the bicycle. 

Organised by the County and City Enterprise Boards, a record-breaking 17,000 students from 370 schools have researched, set-up and managed their real-life businesses, as part of the biggest student enterprise programme in the country

Through their involvement, students learn important business skills, gain real-world experience and develop their commercial instincts. It also gives students;


  •  practical, real life experience of setting up and running their own business
  • the opportunity to think about entrepreneurship and self-employment as a viable career choice

and it: 

  • enhances the teaching of business and entrepreneurship in schools by combining class room learning with real life experience

Judging of the awards centres on key business areas, including: business planning, market research, sales and marketing, financial management, innovation and enterprise.  Cathalreceives an International enterprise education study visit to Lisbon as part of his prize.