Innovative Connacht and Leinster startups progress to Seedcorn for €130,000 funding opportunity
InterTradeIreland has announced the winners of the Connacht and Leinster regional final of its all-island Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition, with VetPal, Mór Taste and Skill Studio AI recognised for the strength of their business propositions and growth potential.
As regional winners, the companies now progress to the all-island final in Belfast, where they will compete for a €130,000 funding opportunity, part of a total €800,000 prize fund.
The winning projects emerged from a competitive field of more than 300 early-stage ventures as part of InterTradeIreland’s Seedcorn competition, an all-island initiative that supports innovative businesses at seed, start-up and early stages of development.
- VetPal, based in Roscommon, won the B2B award;
- Mór Taste, based in Wexford, won the B2C award;
- Skill Studio AI, based in Athlone, won the Deep Tech award.
Commenting, Shane O’Hanlon, Funding for Growth Manager at InterTradeIreland said:
InterTradeIreland would like to congratulate the winners of our Connacht and Leinster regional Seedcorn competition, whose innovative ideas, commercial ambition and high-quality pitches impressed the judging panel. The standard in this year’s competition has been particularly high, and competitions such as Seedcorn provide much more than the opportunity to compete for funding; they give SMEs and entrepreneurs access to expert feedback, help them strengthen their investor readiness and provide valuable exposure to investors and business networks that can support future growth.
Accepting the win, Alan Gormley, Co-Founder and CEO of VetPal, winner of the B2B award said:
Since founding VetPal, we’ve grown our app through our in-person focus, engaging directly with customers in agri-stores, on farms and in vet practices. Winning the regional Seedcorn final is a fantastic recognition of the team’s work, and we look forward to expanding our team and growing.
Felix Oster, Managing Director and Founder of Mór Taste, winner of the B2C award said:
Seedcorn came at the right point in Mór Taste’s journey. We are now preparing for the next phase of growth, and InterTradeIreland has given us invaluable insight and access to expertise to do this, challenging our growth strategy, strengthening our investment proposition and preparing our business for international scale.
Magda Targosz, founder and CEO of Skill Studio AI, winner of the Deep Tech award said:
Winning the regional Seedcorn final is a wonderful step forward for the Skill Studio AI team, and the support and guidance provided by InterTradeIreland throughout the whole process proved invaluable, helping with sharpening our strategic focus to refine our direction. Winning the regional final stands as a deeply rewarding achievement for our business.
In addition to advancing in the competition, participants have benefitted from valuable expert feedback on their business models and investor pitches, helping to strengthen investor readiness, refine growth strategies and raise their profile among potential investors.
Seedcorn is open to independent ventures incorporated on the island of Ireland that are targeting export and international market opportunities, especially in the seed, start-up and early stages of development. The competition provides founders and management teams with practical experience of presenting to investors while helping them prepare for future fundraising opportunities.
O’Hanlon continued:
Finalists at our Connacht and Leinster regional competition represented a diverse range of sectors, showcasing the innovation, ambition and talent in the region. In addition, the calibre of businesses taking part clearly demonstrates the strength of entrepreneurship across the island. We look forward to seeing our regional winners in the all-island final in Belfast and we wish them every success in the next stage of the competition.
