Longford man's company 'Parkpnp' wins prestigious award

Parkpnp users can rent out car parking spaces by the hour, day, week or month, and cash in on hitherto underutilised assets.

Parkpnp CEO Garret Flower said the win was a validation of everything the company had achieved to date while also filling it with confidence for where it is going as a business.

The company launched in 2015, and has now expanded into the Belgian and Dutch markets, while it is looking to conduct its first trial in the US shortly.

The Awards, which are now in their ninth year, were presented at a ceremony attended by over 220 people at The Concert Hall, RDS, in Dublin recently.

All five category award winners receive a €10,000 Irish Times media package.

Michael McAleer, Innovation Editor, at The Irish Times said the Awards underlined once again the importance of fostering a culture of innovation.

The idea for Parkpnp came about as a result of Garret Flower’s first experience driving in Dublin and his difficulty in finding parking.

The idea became a reality when he met co-founder Daniel Paul, who has been building apps since he was 16.

Having gained backing from a number of investors including Enterprise Ireland, the company launched in 2015, and has now expanded into the Belgian and Dutch markets.

Garret explained, “Parking space owners can use the phone app or the website. They can rent it out hourly or for months if they wish.

Users can open the app and pre-book parking before they leave home if they wish. We are talking to pubs, restaurants, hotels and local authorities around Ireland at the moment.”