Start-up company requires €80k to develop initiative

By Maurice Garvey

BALLYFERMOT based tech start-up Thriftify, are seeking €80,000 to develop the initiative – a web-based platform which helps charities realise the true value of unsold donated stock, particularly books.

Social enterprise group Sedco are incubating four social businesses in Ballyfermot Civic Centre, including Thriftify, who took part the first ever Animate showcase event at Trinity Business School, in partnership with Social Innovation Fund Ireland.

As an Animate awardee, Thriftify is recognised as an innovative solution to a critical social issue in Ireland. To complete the second stage software development, the tech start-up are seeking €80,000 to develop software to the next stage, allowing it to be used by bigger charity shop chains in Ireland and UK.

Rónán Ó Dálaigh, CEO of Thriftify said: ‘’Being a start-up is a challenge in itself. Thriftify has completed the pilot stage of its project and has determined the average value of books to be €6.92 which is an increase of over €6.

“Thanks for all the support from Social Innovation Find Ireland, Thriftify is becoming mainstream and we are demonstrating that social innovation can have a huge impact.’’

Deirdre Mortell, Social Innovation Fund Ireland CEO, said: “We are thrilled to be named in the Programme for Government. We very much look forward to working with Minister Coveney, as we look to grow a philanthropic fund of real scale.”

Ó Dálaigh says Thriftify aim to increase the profits of charity shops in Ireland and then the UK, by providing a technology solution to the problem of unsold donated books.

“Having processed 20,000 books for one charity shop chain, Thriftify can increase their profits by €250,000 over a year,” he said.