New startups are borning every day in Ireland, particularly in Dublin. So which one should you keep watch in 2021? Here's a list of 53 of them, with a ton of data!
Ireland is home to some of the biggest companies in the world, from tech giants such as Google to medical multinationals like GSK.
However, amongst these enterprises, there are countless startups that are aiming to disrupt their industries, create new ways of solving problems, and leave a mark at home and abroad.
You will see that a lot fo them are within Dublin, the capital of the country, but will find some around the whole nation.
Here’re the top 53 Irish startups you should be watching this year.
Top Irish Startups
1) Aid:Tech
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Joseph Thompson and Niall Dennehy
Year Founded: 2014
Category: MedTech
Aid:Tech uses blockchain technology to provide a platform where welfare, remittances and donations can be processed and delivered in a completely transparent way. The startup recently received a €1M funding deal with investors including SGInnovate and Block Asset Ventures.
2) Abodoo
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Vannessa Tierney
Year Founded: 2017
Category: SaaS
After a period of working remotely due to medical treatment, Vanessa Tierney decided to set up Abodoo. It is a career matching platform that is specifically aimed at remote workers or workers that want to work on a flexible schedule. The companies that are looking to hire are matched with remote workers that don’t mind working remotely. It has over €1M in funding and is proving to be an international leader on a global stage.
3) Apis Protect
HQ: Cork
Founders: Dr Fiona Edwards Murphy
Year Founded: 2017
Category: Internet of Things / Bee Technology
By no means the biggest startup on the list but one that has created a lot of buzz. ApisProtect is all about using agricultural technology to take care of bees. It gives beekeepers data on which hives are performing well or which are alive or dead and helps turn data into useful information for beekeepers.
4) Artomatix
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Eric Risser, Neal O'Gorman, and Barthélémy Kiss
Year Founded: 2014
Category: Artificial Intelligence Software
This is an AI software firm whose main product automates up to 90% of the most tedious and time-consuming tasks of the 3D artistic workflow. Artomatix was recently bought by Unity Technologies as their team is set to grow exponentially over the next few years.
5) AudioSourceRe
HQ: Cork
Founders: Derry Fitzgerald & John O’Connell
Year Founded: 2018
Category: Audio Software
AudioSourceRE develops innovative demixing technology that can separate sound. It’s software reverse engineers music and audio without the need for original content, delivering high-quality individual layers of instruments and sounds to be reused in music recording, broadcast, digital music, social karaoke (incl. video), music education, audio forensics and voice biometrics.
6) Bamboo
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Luke Mackey and Alan Havert
Year Founded: 2016
Category: Food / App
Bamboo is all about saving time and money. The app allows users to order from their favorite cafes and restaurants without having to queue up. You can track your order in real-time and make your way to collect it when the app notifies you when it’s ready. It’s a very simple but genius idea.
7) Bluedrop Medical
HQ: Galway
Founders: Chris Murphy and Simon Kiersey
Year Founded: 2015
Category: MedTech
Bluedrop is aiming to lower the impact of diabetes. They are using the Internet of Things technology to identify diabetic foot ulcers. With an estimated 25,000 people per year having to get amputations due to diabetes, this technology has the potential help lower those numbers dramatically.
8) Cerebreon
HQ: Donegal
Founders: Dr Gillian Doyle and Dr Kenneth Doherty
Year Founded: 2016
Category: Tech
Cerebreon is a tech firm that utilizes algorithms and machine intelligence to identify insolvency failure in advance and helps to correct the mistake before it becomes an issue. This year alone they have been able to raise €1.69million which is a huge amount for any business.
9) Circit
HQ: Dublin
Founder: David Heath
Year Founded: 2015
Category: Software as a Service
Circit aims to help companies by providing them with a platform for communication and automation during the financial audit process. Circit brings together banks, accounting firms and clients during the highly stressful audit process. All at the fraction of the time, that it takes traditional methods. Ciricit is shaking things up in the fintech industry and is building on early successes.
10) CitySwift
HQ: Galway
Founders: Brian O’Rourke and Alan Farrelly
Year Founded: 2016
Category: Data as a Service / Transport
CitySwift is one of the few Irish startups that have been featured in Forbes. This is a very useful platform which provides data-driven bus scheduling to make public transport more efficient and to improve customer satisfaction. They have taken on more team members and experienced a steady since they were established in 2016.
11) CloudKPI
HQ: Wicklow
Founders: Maeve Kneafsey and Brenda Jordan
Year Founded: 2012
Category: Software as a Service
Since its founding in 2012, CloudKPI has received over $1 million in funding. They provide software that helps cloud businesses to make better data-driven decisions. They recently secured a contract with Amazon Web Services which will give them access to over 5,000 potential SaaS clients.
12) Coindrum
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Lukas Decker
Year Founded: 2012
Category: Financial exchanges, Retail, Travel
Ever find yourself with a load of coins that are no good in your home country? Coindrum helps travelers use up their leftover currency when they are leaving a country in exchange for shopping vouchers. They have self-service machines all over the world and are helping travellers get rid of unwanted cash and increasing footfall for airport retail shops.
13) EverVault
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Shane Curran
Year Founded: 2018
Category: Data Protection, Software
A great startup from one of Ireland’s brightest young minds, 19-year-old Shane Curran. EverVault’s mission is simple: to make data privacy simple and accessible for all. They are basically creating a one-stop data toolkit that developers can incorporate into new products. With over €3m in seed funding already invested, this is a promising startup for the future to keep an eye out for.
14) Evocco
HQ: Meath
Founders: Ahmad Mu’azzm and Hugh Weldon
Year Founded: 2017
Category: Sustainability and Retail
The team at Evocco are aiming to make your shopping more eco-friendly by helping customers find the most nutritious food with the lowest environmental impact. You can track your progress and learn more with helpful tips and tricks to reduce your carbon footprint.
15) Farmeye
HQ: Galway
Founders: Dr Eoghan Finneran and Brendan Allen
Year Founded: 2017
Category: Agriculture
Ireland is famous for its rolling hills and agricultural background. But it’s fair to say that the agricultural sector is one of the slower sectors to embrace the latest technology. The team at Farmeye has created a map-based system for sustainable soil nutrient management. Which also helps monitor sustainable fertilizers on farms. It helps farmers monitor their produce from the soil to the supermarket. It also helps the farmers make sure they are adhering to fertilizer guidelines and can save them wasting money by spreading excess fertilizer.
16) Fenergo
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Marc Murphy
Year Founded: 2009
Category: SaaS
Fenergo aims to help financial institutions streamline the end-to-end client lifecycle management from regulatory compliance and regulatory checks. WIth massive clients like BBVA, Scotiabank, and BNP Paribas and with 10+ offices all over the world, this fintech startup is one of the most successful Irish startups on the list.
17) Fillit
HQ: Dublin
Founders: John Carroll
Year Founded: 2015
Category: SaaS
The goal of Fillit is simple, they aim to connect businesses with commercial retail space. Companies can create a profile and choose which space is most suited to their business, in a very short amount of time. They are asking people to rethink what space is, from shelves to ship they believe their technology can help. And since going live in 2015, they have proved they can.
Founders: Jeremy Davies Betancourt, Kristjan Koik and Oli Cavanagh
Year Founded: 2015
Category: Peer to Peer Lending
Flender is a “Peer-to-Peer” lending platform that makes it easier than ever for businesses to raise expansion finance fast. Giving businesses the capital to grow and giving investors a healthy return on the investment. In 2019 they received a huge line of funding of €75 million, which should put them in a good position to challenge and disrupt the financial lending industry
19) Flipdish
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Brothers Conor and James McCarthy
Year Founded: 2015
Category: Food App
Set up in 2015 by brothers Conor and James, Flipdish provides an online platform for small restaurants and takeaways to create an easily set up website, take online orders and to build an online presence. Due to COVID-19 at the start of 2020, the platform has seen a massive amount of growth and are helping out 100s of Irish restaurants set up food deliveries for customers during the lockdown in Ireland. It’s during these pressing times that a platform like this is proving so valuable, as it is providing restaurants an income that would have dried up otherwise.
20) CorribPoint
HQ: Galway
Founders: Caitriona McGuckian and John Rushe
Year Founded: 2016
Category: FinTech
CorribPoint is a FinTech startup helping smaller financial institutions to meet anti-money laundering obligations using cloud-based technology. Making the process more efficient, cost-effective and consistent for financial institutions that would normally struggle during this time. Since starting in 2016, they have seen the demand for their technology grow every year, as they aim to make the financial industry in Ireland more secure.
21) Indeemo
HQ: Cork
Founders: Eugene Murphy
Year Founded: 2011
Category: Market Research
Founded originally as a safe social media platform by one of Ireland’s most charismatic entrepreneur Euegene Murphy. Indeemo has grown to become a major player in a very specific field: Mobile Ethnography. Indeemo uses a mobile app and platform that uses ethnography and insights to conduct market research to help companies identify customer behaviours and attitudes in more detail than ever before.
22) ID Pal
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Colum Lyons, James O'Toole, Patrick McClafferty,Robert O'Farrell
Year Founded: 2016
Category: Tech
ID-Pal lets businesses verify the identity of their customers through a simple, secure and convenient process. Making their businesses safer and more efficient for customers and the business itself. Having won the Industry Breakthrough Award from Payments Industry at PayExpo in London in 2018, and with exclusive deals for their technology in the US, the sky’s the limit for this simple yet genius technology.
23) Kite Medical
HQ: Galway
Founders: Sarah Loughney and Professor Prem Puri
Year Founded: 2016
Category: Medical Tech
Kite Medicalis a small team making waves in the medical industry. Their potential was spotted early on with an investment of €1.5m in 2018. They have invented a medical device that helps to detect kidney reflux in children. Their technology helps detect kidney problems at a young age to prevent kidney problems in the future.
24) LetsGetChecked
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Peter Foley
Year Founded: 2015
Category: Medical
Based in Dublin and New York, LetsGetChecked helps people conduct their own health tests. They are able to test for STI/STDs, fertility, cancer and general health checks. The online platform helps connect people with global labs and lets people check their tests online. In 2019, they raised over $30m in funding to make their American dream of expanding into the US markets a reality.
25) Manna Aero
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Bobby Healy
Year Founded: 2019
Category: Drone as a Service
One of the more experimental and futuristic startups on our list. Entrepreneur Bobby Healy is hoping to make food deliveries via drone a reality. With over 10m in funding, it’s looking like this futuristic delivery system is sure to become a reality this year. Manna Aero was also earmarked by Forbesas one of the most exciting Irish startups.
26) MeetingRoom.io
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Jonny Cosgrave
Year Founded: 2017
Category: Virtual reality
With remote work more common than ever before, MeetingRoom makes it easier to collaborate with coworkers face-to-face in different locations by using VR technology. Their goal is to completely revamp how online meetings and work conferences are held, which is becoming more relevant today with businesses like HubSpot and Buffer experimenting with letting their employees work from home more often.
27) NewsWhip
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Andrew Mullaney, Paul Quigley
Year Founded: 2011
Category: Information services
NewsWhip realised the importance of relevant news content for your business. They track and predict the impact of millions of stories, empowering the world’s news and communications professionals. They have an impressive portfolio of clients, including; Washington Post, Reebok, Walmart and IBM to name a few.
28) Nexalus
HQ: Cork
Founders: Cathal Wilson and Kenneth O’Mahony
Year Founded: 2017
Category: Science and Engineering
Nexalus is helping to improve sustainability by taking electronics that produce excessive heat and finds a way to make that thermal energy useful. Increasing efficiency and reducing energy costs. There is no shortage of demand for Nexalus as areas such as gaming, high-performance computers and data centres will be looking to make use of any excess energy usage.
29) Nova Leah
HQ: Louth
Founders: Anita Finnegan
Year Founded: 2015
Category: Cybersecurity
Cyber security is becoming a pressing issue and Nova Leah is doing their best to achieve it. Since securing an investment of €2.25m in 2018 they have expanded their team and they are increasing cybersecurity by providing a service that helps protect medical devices through cybersecurity. They basically help connected medical devices meet cybersecurity regulations throughout the entire product lifecycle.
30) Nuritas
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Nora Khaldi
Year Founded: 2014
Category:
Nuritas uses artificial intelligence and genomics (the study of the complete genome of an organism) to uncover and release the natural bioactive peptides with extraordinary health benefits. I know, quite a mouthful! Nuritas basically are using their technology to discover extraordinary health benefits in natural foods. In 2018, they secured €30m in funding from the EU, which ensured that this startup would have a healthy foundation to grow on during the coming years.
31) Oroson
HQ: Antrim
Founders: Daniel McGlade
Year Founded: 2014
Category: SaaS
Oroson provides an intuitive online platform to bring your deliverables and feedback together in one clear view. No more trawling through emails and endless attachments. Get feedback from your team and clients all in one place. McGlade originally set up Oroson as a platform for students to collaborate but with more demand for collaborative software by companies, it quickly shifted and became very successful of late. Oroson has already raised over £1.25 million in funding.
32) Over-C
HQ: Cork
Founders: Greg Gleinig, Michael Elliott
Year Founded:2011
Category: IT and Services
Over-C is a digital transformation solution that uses big data and analytics to deliver detailed insights into business operations for vital, time-sensitive decision making. In 2019, their total funding surpassed €10m. Demand for their services has grown as companies are now seeing the power that AI has.
33) Parkio
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Joseph Valo, Michael Matus, Pali Gasparovic, Rob Kramer
Year Founded: 2017
Category: SaaS
Parkio is a tech startup that aims to solve the parking problem by implementing software that tackles problems around transportation and parking. Now based all over Europe this startup is looking like it’s going to continue to grow and hopefully go global.
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34) PilotPhotonics
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Frank Smyth, Philip Perry
Year Founded: 2011
Category: Semiconductors
The team at Pilot Photonics have developed a new type of laser that can be used across a wide variety of applications, including increasing the amount of information that can be packed into the optical fibre networks that make up the majority of the internet. In 2019 they raised new investment, expanded the executive team, and secured a number of significant awards including a new contract with the European Space Agency, and the prestigious and highly competitive EU Horizon 2020 SME Instrument Phase 2. The company is looks set to grow strongly in 2020 and beyond.
35) Pointy
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Charles Bibby, Mark Cummins
Year Founded: 2014
Category: Ecommerce
Pointy has created revolutionary technology. It helps brick and mortar stores put their products online, allowing them to get found online by people searching the web for their products online. Earlier this year, Pointy was bought by Google for a cool $163m which should signal the importance of the data that the Pointy team has developed.
36) Popertee
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Lucinda Kelly
Year Founded: 2016
Category: Retail
Popertee is a data-driven platform helps brands discover brick-and-mortar places for their experience-orientated campaigns and offers very detailed data in the process. They use AI to match the perfect consumer with the perfect location. Using social media data and behavioural data to connect with the brand. This technology works particularly well for live events and experiential brand experiences.
37) SalesOptimize
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Liz Fulham
Year Founded: 2014
Category: SaaS
SalesOptimize uses software to scan the internet to help sales and marketing teams generate leads. Their patented tech helps identify online shops and create a pipeline of qualified B2B leads. They have received over €2.2m in funding during their first four years and have grown to become on their market in their niche within the B2B lead generation field.
38) ServiceDock
HQ: Dublin
Founders: 2016
Year Founded: Leonardo Daruiz Correa, Oisin Ryan
Category: IT and Services
ServiceDock aims to help retail and restaurant chains thrive in a more digital world. Their service helps businesses capture feedback and provide customer service in-store by using messaging apps consumers love using while delivering insights to the companies head office.
39) PestPulse
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Brian Monaghan, John O'Gara, Tim O'Toole, Wassim Magnin
Year Founded: 2017
Category: Pest Control IoT (Internet of Things)
PestPulse uses IoT technology to monitor commercial buildings. Their smart technology can be used to monitor sites 24/7 and when alerted they will send out a technician asap. All at the fraction of the cost of traditional services.
40) StrongRoots
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Samuel Denningan
Year Founded: 2015
Category: Food
Strong Roots offers healthy, plant-based frozen food products including oven baked sweet potato fries, kale & quinoa burgers, cauliflower hash browns and spinach bites. It's products are sold in over 4,000 stores worldwide including major retailers in Ireland, the UK, and the U.S., as well as Singapore, Iceland, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar. It has sold over 8 million packs of its foods worldwide.
41) Sweepr
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Alan Coleman, Jim Hannon, John Maguire, Liam Davis
Year Founded: 2017
Category: Customer services
Sweepr is a device to help people with their ‘connected home’. Think Alexa that can pinpoint any problems with connected devices in your smart home. Whether it’s the internet or the oven, Sweepr will analyze it and contact a technician if needed.
42) SoapBox Labs
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Dr Patricia Scanlon
Year Founded: 2013
Category: Artificial Intelligence and Speech Recognition
Not many startups can boast that they have been officially endorsed by Mark Zuckerburg. The SoapBox Labs team are aiming to improve literacy amongst children. Unlike other voice assistants, this one is made specifically for kids and helps improve literacy through games, toys, language learning and more. They recently got a $30m contract with the University of Florida to use their technology in an educational program.
43) Tines
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Eoin Hinchy
Year Founded: 2018
Category: Cyber Security
The Tines platform is all about automating the cybersecurity process. Their handy platform can help security teams automate any manual task they may have. It’s an impressive and well-funded startup that looks like its going to be around for a long time as cybersecurity gets more important.
44) Trade IX
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Andy Berti, Marcus Wade, Richard Tynan, Robert Barnes
Year Founded: 2015
Category: Financial Tech
Trade IX is a fast-growing trading platform that uses blockchain technology to create a secure and reliable service. It’s an award-winning company with some of the biggest clients in the world and looks to be going from strength-to-strength.
45) Trezeo
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Flavien Charlon, Garrett Cassidy
Year Founded: 2016
Category: FInTech App
Being a freelancer isn’t easy with a lot of uncertainty and varying incomes, Trezeo aims to solve this problem by providing security for freelance or self-employed people. Offering affordable financial products like pensions, long term pensions and even mortgages.
46) UX Design Institute
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Colman Walsh
Year Founded: 2013
Category: Information Technology / Education
The UX Design Institute is the leader in UX education and certification. They offer university credit rated online courses. The courses are also validated by their Industry Advisory Council which is made up of experts within the UX and tech sector.
47) Uleska
HQ: Belfast
Founders: Gary Robinson
Year Founded: 2016
Category: Cyber Security
Uleska is helping to guide people through the modern-day cybersecurity landscape. Uleska helps by automating the software and cloud services security process. In an industry worth an approx 9bn, they’re ones to keep an eye out for.
48) UrbanVolt
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Declan Barrett, Graham Deane, Kevin Maughan
Year Founded: 2014
Category: Sustainability
UrbanVolt is an energy efficiency company that helps large companies to reduce their energy consumption and cut their energy costs for no money down. UrbanVolt supply, install and maintain LED lighting for commercial properties, via their zero capex Light as a Service offering. As more and more businesses seek to reduce their carbon footprint and having won an investment of €55m from UK Investment firm Low Carbon in 2018, the future looks bright for UrbanVolt.
49) VR Education Holdings
HQ: Waterford
Founders: David Whelan
Year Founded: 2014
Category: Virtual Reality Education
While Dublin is the tech startup, it hasn’t stopped this Waterford-based startup to delve into the tech startups. The team at VR Education Holdings were one of the early adopters of Virtual Reality technology. Their mission is to use VR for education and immersive experiences for students of all ages. In 2018, they raised €6m in funding and they’re small team has been growing strongly in the last couple of years thanks to that funding.
50) ENBIO
HQ: Dublin
Founders: John O’Donoghue
Year Founded: 2006
Category: Aviation and Aerospace
ENBIO is the inventor of an amazing technology called CoBlast, which is redefining the metals industry. One thing ENBIO provides is sunscreen for satellites so they can withstand the corrosive effects of the sun so metals on spaceships and satellites can last longer.
51) Web Summit
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Daire Hickey, David Kelly and Paddy Cosgrave
Year Founded: 2009
Category: Information Technology and Events
Web Summit is a conference for everyone involved in the technology and online industry. It came from humble beginnings, with a mere 400 attendees at the start to over 70,000 today.
52) WoodcoEnergy
HQ: Tipperary
Founders: Brothers Ger and Declan Crosse
Year Founded: 2014
Category: Renewable Energy
The greatest surprise to many is that this product, the Biogenic Processor by Woodco, was conceptualized, designed and built in a small village in rural Tipperary where some of the most innovative minds in renewable energy are based. By combining years of experience and the very latest mechanical, electrical and environmental engineering skills Woodco designs products that are cost-effective and create added value and be transformative for the Customers that use them.
53) ZiggyTec
HQ: Dublin
Founders: Peter Murphy and Kieran Murphy (unrelated)
Year Founded: 2018
Category: Sustainability and Utilities
It was a step into the unknown for the duo, with over 30 years of experience combined in engineering and trading energy, they decided to delve into the world of IoT technology, ZiggyTec (named after Ziggy Stardust) uses IoT technology to monitor utilities in commercial buildings. Capturing the data and presenting it on their own custom platform. This data can then be used in reports to help lower carbon emissions and increase property value. With a small passionate and hard-working team combined plenty of experience, ZiggyTec is one of the ones to watch in the sustainability category.
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