6D-Dementia Ltd and Klas Therapeutics are Northern Ireland’s regional winners of this year’s InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition. 6D-Dementia Ltd won ‘Best New Start’ while Klas Therapeutics won ‘Best Early Stage’. Each company received €20,000 and will advance to the All-Island final in Belfast on November 7th.
The InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition is the largest business competition of its kind on the island of Ireland, offering a total prize fund of €300,000 to promising start-ups and early-stage businesses.
6D-Dementia Ltd, was named the ‘Best New Start’ for Northern Ireland. 6D-Dementia Ltd is a training platform that helps organisations develop bespoke dementia care pathways, improving clinical outcomes. 6D addresses the urgent need for solutions to help manage complex patients, reduce caregiver burnout, and improve care quality in both community and hospital settings. It also supports the financial sustainability of healthcare services.
I am thrilled 6D-Dementia Ltd is through to the final stages of the Seedcorn Competition. The funding will help to further invest in refining the platform by integrating more advanced features and enhanced data analytics to provide richer insights to users.
We will also allocate part of the prize to build a more comprehensive digital marketing campaign aimed at expanding brand visibility across the UK, Ireland, and other international markets. Finally, we can invest in targeted content, such as case studies and testimonials, to engage more stakeholders and demonstrate the impact of the 6D platform.
Dr Frances Duffy, CEO and Founder of 6D-Dementia Ltd
Meanwhile, Klas Therapeutics, based in Belfast, took home the title of ‘Best Early Stage’ for Northern Ireland. Klas Therapeutics have developed a technology that treats melanoma cancer. The goal of the company is ultimately increased patient survival.
It’s fantastic Klas Therapeutics has been recognised as a Seedcorn finalist. Seedcorn has a brilliant reputation and the most rewarding part to date has been the support through weekly sessions on how to put together a strong business plan. I’m looking forward to the finals in Belfast next month.
Professor Bridgeen Callan, CEO of Klas Therapeutics
Both companies emerged victorious from a group of six innovative start-up and early-stage businesses representing Dublin. They included Kaioptix, Cyb3rBoard, Gran Lab and eXRt Intelligent Healthcare.
The regional final, held on October 23rd in Belfast, saw the finalists pitch their investment proposals to a panel of judges, including active investors. The Northern Ireland regional winners will now compete for the overall prize of €100,000 at the final in Belfast next month.
Congratulations to all the finalists who participated in our Northern Ireland regional finals. The competition is always intense, and the innovation we see continues to impress year after year. A big congratulations to 6D-Dementia Ltd and Klas Therapeutics for securing their spots in the Belfast finals next month. We expect the competition to be equally impressive.
Shane O’Hanlon, Funding for Growth Manager at InterTradeIreland
For start-ups and early-stage businesses, the InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Investor-Readiness Competition provides a platform to demonstrate why these companies believe they are ‘investor ready’ and open to a funding injection. As part of the regional finals, companies pitched their business plan to a panel of industry judges that included Cillian Sugrue (Enterprise Ireland), Conor Mills (ACT VC), Martin Murray (Furthr) and Niamh Sterling (HBAN.)
The process mirrored a real-life investment process, and each finalist has received expert feedback on its business plan and pitch, as well as increased exposure to investors.
For the fourth consecutive year, an additional €20,000 prize will be awarded for best investment proposal from a company operating in the low carbon/green sector.
