Eight companies are set to be €20,000 richer following the regional finals of this year’s InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition.
25 up-and-coming companies will go head-to-head in the competition to win in their respective categories of 'New Start' and 'Early Stage'.
Northern Ireland
In the 'New Start' category, there are four competing companies. Belfast-based eXRt Intelligent Healthcare, creator of a virtual reality stroke physiotherapy system; GenoME Diagnostics, who has developed a novel blood test for the earlier diagnosis of ovarian cancer and VascVersa Ltd, a new regenerative medicine company making advanced therapy medicinal products for ischaemic diseases will compete against Fermanagh based Zendra Health, a med-tech company who offer a building blocks platform that streamlines medical-grade digital therapeutics.
In the 'Early Stage' category, three Belfast based companies will compete for the title. Mortgage Propeller, a new platform that automates the manual compliance processes that plague day-to-day life for mortgage advisors and their support staff; Sonrai Analytics, a data analytics platform to expedite the process of healthcare organisations bringing new treatments to market and SonoTarg Ltd, developer of a new targeted therapy for treatment of solid cancer tumours which claims to be more effective than conventional chemotherapy but less toxic.
Ireland
In the New Start category, the Dublin regional finalists include; ReactEmo Ltd, an online one-stop-shop for firms wanting to engage in market research with their focus groups remotely; Examfly Ltd, an interactive online learning tool to improve the speed and effectiveness of study for professional exams and Bonafi Ltd, a reg-tech firm that helps companies in the pharmaceutical industry authenticate their customers and suppliers.
The Early Stage category includes Xtract, an insur-tech company providing real-time vehicle crash analytics and visual reconstruction for the insurance industry; e-Seed, natural microbial treatments applied directly to seeds to increase yields and returns to growers and 4Securitas, cyber security software focused on protecting critical data at the core of every organisation.
In the New Start category, the Munster regional finalists include; Kerry based Emerald Isle Growers, who offer sustainably produced organic produce direct to consumers, restaurants and wholesalers; Clare based Feistim Ltd, which has developed a performance application that tracks and monitors performance and PlayerStat Data, a Waterford company who has developed an online database for sport performance data output and reports.
In the Early Stage category Cork based PlantQuest, offers a signal free location platform for complex process facilities allowing workers to navigate a facility regardless of the availability of WiFi or GPS and PixQuanta, a light sensor technology compatible with the standard materials, tools and processing already available in the manufacturing industry, will take on Clare based Great Ireland Experiences, a digital platform for visitor attractions and museums which aims to transform how they communicate, engage and interact with their visitors.
In the New Start category, the Connacht & Leinster regional finalists include; Soothing Solutions Ltd in Navan, offering a range of natural products for children aged two years and over to combat sore throats and coughs; Kildare based Hygiene Audits, infection control workflow software to improve hygiene compliance in care homes and Positive Carbon, a Roscommon company providing intelligent food waste monitoring technology to help businesses save food and money.
In the Early Stage category, Kildare based Equine MediRecord who have created a regulator approved software to replace the paper based anti-doping and horse welfare system will join Galway based NUA Surgical, developer of a surgical retractor that tackles major unmet needs of Caesarean Section (C-Section) impacting clinicians, hospitals and patients and FeelTect, who have developed technology to measure and monitor compression therapy, primarily for the millions of people worldwide with venous leg ulcers.
Congratulating the regional finalists, Connor Sweeney, Seedcorn Programme Manager at InterTradeIreland, said: “To get to a regional final, companies have already been shortlisted based upon their business plan submission and visual representation of their ideas, so I’m delighted to offer my congratulations to all those who have reached this crucial stage.
“This year the regional finals will be held remotely for the first time in Seedcorn’s history. We were determined to continue with the competition if we could find a safe way of doing so and thankfully technology has presented the opportunity. We are thrilled to be able to run the next two stages remotely, as Seedcorn is centred around showcasing business innovation we think it’s a relevant approach.”
All 25 companies will participate in an intensive investment pitch masterclass. This will help them to refine their presentation skills. At the regional final this year, they will deliver a pitch to a panel of judges remotely over video call.
The eight successful regional winners will take home a €20,000 cash prize and progress to the all-island final of InterTradeIreland’s Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition which in light of current events will take place online this year.
Seedcorn, which supports burgeoning companies, has a €280,000 total cash prize. The eight regional finalists will compete for €50,000 or €100,000 as either category or overall winner.
The competition can be followed on Twitter (@Inter_Trade) and on the website www.intertradeireland.com/seedcorn.
