Success for Newport's Sarah at TUS awards
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Recipient of the Best Innovation Award, Sarah Hayes, co-founder of ‘Fastwave’, with Dr Gillian Barry, Head of Innovation & Enterprise, TUS. Photos: Olena Oleksienko/ilovelimerickImage 2 of 2
Holding their awards at TUS are Hugh McNally of Carpal, One to Watch 2026; Dr Rachel Power of Calm & Free, Startup of the Year; Sarah Hayes of Fastwave, Business Innovation winner, with other participants from the 2026 TUS New Frontiers Programme as well as: Mary Casey, New Frontiers Programme Manager, Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre; Ciara Concannon, New Frontiers National Programme Manager, Enterprise Ireland; Prof Vincent Cunnane, President, TUS; Dr Gillian Barry, Head of Innovation & Enterprise, TUS; Dr Liam Brown, Vice-President, Research Development & Innovation, TUS and Nadia Hwigi, New Frontiers Programme Officer, Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre, TUS.A cloud-based internet facility for the streamlining of swimming performances and records, plus club management aids, has earned a distinctive award for a local woman behind the creation of the application.
Co-founder of Fastwave, Sarah Hayes, Carrowkeale, Newport has been recognised for the innovation at this year’s Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) Startup Awards, which highlighted emerging businesses with strong growth potential.
She was presented with the coveted Best Innovation Award for a platform focused on competitive swimming that includes the automation and standardising of competition entries.
'Fastwave' (fastwive.ie) is a cloud-based, secure and private platform, designed to provide an all embracing package of facilities for swimming clubs and individuals, with sections to include records of events, performances, and financial records which can be customised to meet the needs of any swim club, organisation or programme.
The awards, hosted at The Engine in Limerick City, marked the culmination of the Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers programme at TUS, supporting founders to build scalable, innovation-led businesses.
Also recognised on the night was Calm & Free, the paediatrician-led skincare venture co-founded by Dr Rachel Power, which was named Startup of the Year, while the One to Watch Award went to Clare entrepreneur Hugh McNally, Doonbeg for his automotive platform CarPal.
The event featured a keynote speech from John Cleary, founder and CEO of Eventmaster, who shared insights from building and scaling a technology company across Ireland and Europe.
More than 100 investors, business leaders and representatives from support agencies and higher education institutions attended the event.
The programme is delivered through the TUS Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre, in collaboration with UL Nexus, and supported by the Local Enterprise Offices in Tipperary, Limerick and Clare, alongside AxisBIC, Propelor BIC and Limerick Chamber Skillnet.
Professor Vincent Cunnane, President of TUS, said: “Programmes like New Frontiers are critical in strengthening Ireland’s pipeline of innovation-led, export-focused companies. At TUS, we are proud to support founders as they move from early ideas to scalable businesses.”
Ciara Concannon, National Programme Manager for New Frontiers at Enterprise Ireland, added: “The Limerick cohort reflects the strength of innovation emerging from the region, supported by a highly collaborative ecosystem that helps founders build real momentum.”
Applications for the next New Frontiers programme at TUS are now open.