CONGRATULATIONS to Co Meath sisters Kate and Annie Madden of Fenu Health who are among the finalists for The Irish Times Innovation Awards 2017.

No strangers to Pony Tales for their business acumen with their equine supplements company, the teenage sisters from Summerhill have been nominated in the New Frontiers category of the Awards.

Now in its eighth year, the Awards showcase and reward excellence in innovation across a range of products and services.

Fenu Health offers powder supplements that can be added to horse feed to solve the problem of gastric ulcers in horses. Fenu Save for preventing the ulcers and Fenu Care for treating horses with them cost less than 10% of the price of leading rival products.

BIG ADVANTAGE

The big advantage of both these products is that, unlike the market leader, they can be fed on the day of competition. The products have received testimonials from numerous top trainers, including Noel Meade.

The winners will be announced in early October in Dublin. Each category winner will secure a €10,000 media package with The Irish Times and a one-year digital subscription to the paper.

The overall winner of the ‘Innovation of the Year’ will win a high-profile communications package worth in excess of €150,000. In addition, the UCD Smurfit Business School will provide the winner with a scholarship for an Executive Development programme commencing in 2018.