Startups are thinking big — and are set to be showcased

Enterprise Ireland aims to support and enable Irish businesses to lead in a changing world and this annual event brings together some of the most promising and innovative startups in Ireland. It also serves as a platform for these startups to showcase their business offering and network amongst their peers, as well as to other key stakeholders in attendance, including investors, venture capitalists and potential future partners.

These companies are at the start of their journey and include 91 HPSUs, 16 companies from the Competitive Start Fund (CSF), and 44 from the Pre-Seed Start Fund. In addition, 153 representatives who completed the New Frontiers Programme last year will be in attendance.

There are also 13 deep-tech startups that have emerged from research. This year’s conference has a particular focus on deep-tech companies as they showcase the quality of research that is currently taking place within institutes of higher education across the country.

Ireland’s economic success will be driven by harnessing a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem which utilises the skills, ambition and talent of a diverse population. Reflecting that commitment to supporting diversity, more than 37pc of the startups supported by Enterprise Ireland last year have women at the helm.

These include Positive Carbon, Teleatherapy, and Akara Robotics, to name just a few. The Startup Showcase event aims to celebrate their achievements alongside the rest of the innovative class of 2022.

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Solving problems

Funding and ambition are key to success, but learning from peers and those who have been on the starting and scaling journey can sometimes be equally as important. Attendees at our Startup Showcase will hear from others who have been on this journey before and will have the opportunity to learn about their experiences.

The first panel will discuss resilience and striving for big opportunities, and participants include Jamie Heaslip, of Stripe; Sonia Neary, of Wellola; Dan Fox, of Johnson Hana; Ronan Perceval, of Phorest Salon Software; Clare Hughes, of CF Pharma; and Chupi Sweetman, of Chupi Jewellery.

The second panel will focus on solving big problems, and will hear from Brian Shields, of Neurent Medical; Ríona Ní Ghriallais, of ProVerum; Fionn Lahart, of OneProjects; Martin O’Reilly of Output Sports; Alan Barry, of PlasmaBound; and Sandra Healy, of Inclusio. Our keynote speaker on the day will be Fintan Buckley, of space technology startup Ubotica.

The Startup Showcase is a highlight in the calendar for Ireland’s startup ecosystem, and Enterprise Ireland continues to support the next generation of innovative entrepreneurs who are all “thinking big”.

For more information, visit enterprise-ireland.com/en/Start-a-Business-in-Ireland/HPSU-Showcase

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Anna-Marie Turley is department manager entrepreneurship, HPSU operations in Enterprise Ireland