Irish Startups impress at inaugural Newry tech event Innovation Nation 2018
by Startacus Admin
Irish startups both North and South came to pitch at Innovation Nation 2018, the inaugural, two-day -min.png "Ascend startup pitch comp at Innovation Nation 2018")
Newry tech event, with Cork startup SmartRoutes claiming the £50k valued prize fund.
Irish startups both North and South came to pitch at Innovation Nation 2018, the inaugural, two-day Newry tech event, an event that championed the Newry, Mourne and Down district area of Northern Ireland as a national hub for digital innovation.
Led and hosted by Startacus co-founder Alastair Cameron, the Ascend startup pitch competition was an integral part of the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council organised two-day tech event, with the winning Irish startup, SmartRoutes announced as the overall winner that evening at the event dinner at the Newry City Hall.
SmartRoutes is a Cork based startup who have designed and built a delivery route planning solution. Their Cloud-based platform helps businesses to seamlessly plan their routes, giving them the ability to run an efficient delivery fleet in-house 24/7.
Coming a close second was Clare based startup Get the Shifts, a tech-centric staffing solution which is disrupting the Irish hospitality sector by supporting bars, restaurants, cafes, festivals, and other hospitality and events businesses to source experienced, temporary staff in their area on demand.
The Judges namely Kevin McGivern of Kx, Ashleen Feeney of KPMG in Northern Ireland, Garrett O’Hare of Flexi Work Space and Drew O’Sullivan of InterTradeIreland, who were impressed with the early stage Irish startups that pitched, also awarded Northern Irish startup Cropsafe with a ‘One to Watch’ title.
Cropsafe, with a team of three co-founders aged 17, impressed beyond their years, and their pitch for their AgriTech platform that utilizing satellite imagery to accurately detect and predict impending diseases within farmers crops, left a mark on the audience and the Ascend Judges.
Alastair Cameron, co-founder of Startacus who hosted the startup pitch competion said:
“It is no exaggeration to say that we were totally delighted with the standard of the early-stage Irish startups on show. Whilst all credit must go to Smartroutes, Get the Shifts and Cropsafe for bring awarded with the 1st, 2nd and ‘One to Watch’ titles, it is fair to say that a good number of startups also scored heavily by the Judges and scoring was very close on the day.”
Alastair continued: “I would not be surprised if quite a few of these startups go on to raise angel and VC investment over the coming 12 months.”
RISCalert, Unitek.AI, Motoklik, Afterbook, Journey Protector, Jadeblok, Elastic Energy, Compensave, MiBudi, Machine Eye, made up the list of early-stage Irish startups on show.
Innovation Nation 2018 took place over two days and attendees heard from Brian Conlon, Founder and Chief Executive of First Derivatives plc; Norbrook Laboratories Chief Executive Liam Nagle and STATSports Chief Commercial Officer Sean O’Connor, as well as inspiring entrepreneurs and tech leaders from elsewhere.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
New research from Corporate Coach Group reveals the UK's most ambitious cities and includes top tips on how to make 2021 your best year ever when it comes to achieving your goals
The accolade this week goes to MyPlasticDiary, an innovative app which will enable you to track, understand and reduce your plastic footprint
The innovative Spanish startup raises major funding to scale its team and help more businesses design smarter automated conversations with customers
The lowdown on the Japanese robotics startup that has created Qoboo, a therapeutic robot in the form of a cushion with a tail
The EverLearner launches a GoFundMe campaign to help disadvantaged children in the UK who are struggling to complete their online learning
10 startups solving challenges the aerospace sector faces are selected for the latest ATI Boeing Accelerator. We took a look at the cohort
Whether you're recruiting for a small tech startup or a large well-established organisation, these tips will help you stay on top of your game
The lowdown on the innovative EdTech app Tappity that's on a mission to help kids learn about science in a way they'll actually enjoy...
AlphaBeats is a startup that's created an innovative way to help us all us fight stress while we unwind listening to our favourite music
Major seed investment secured by the innovative Insurtech startup Nayms to assist with developing further pilot programs and building its customer base
Published on: 30th September 2018
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Where are the UK’s most ambitious people in 2021? 21st Jan 2021 New research from Corporate Coach Group reveals the UK's most ambitious cities and includes top tips on how to make 2021 your best year ever when it comes to achieving your goals
- No-Code Chatbot Builder Landbot Secures $8M Series A 20th Jan 2021 The innovative Spanish startup raises major funding to scale its team and help more businesses design smarter automated conversations with customers
- Supporting disadvantaged children with their online learning 19th Jan 2021 The EverLearner launches a GoFundMe campaign to help disadvantaged children in the UK who are struggling to complete their online learning
- Insurtech startup, Nayms Closes £1.5m seed round 15th Jan 2021 Major seed investment secured by the innovative Insurtech startup Nayms to assist with developing further pilot programs and building its customer base
