ISEF 2021
Our grand final was hosted on a virtual world platform, where spectators could interact with our world, watch the pitches of the contestants, get introduced to the judges and learn more about ISEF itself. We also conducted a public vote for the grand final in the virtual world.
Start Ups
MIRR
Mirr: looks like a mirror, acts like a tablet. Mirr is a revolutionary, touch screen smart mirror. It is a reflective mirror, integrated with full tablet functionality.
It is fitted with a wide range of applications. Users can watch Netflix, listen to Spotify, stream make-up tutorials, check the news and weather, play a game; the list goes on. And while doing all of this, the user can brush their teeth, apply their make-up, do their hair etcetera in the reflective mirror.
Mirr can be installed anywhere in the home. It blends in when not in use. Depending on the location in the home, Mirr can be used to follow recipes in the kitchen, make-up tutorials in the bedroom or as a smart home control in the hall.
Ethicart
EthiCart is a user-friendly app that gives quick, accessible and easy to understand information around food product’s sustainability and ethical standards. If you want to shop more sustainably but lack time to research and a place to get the information you need, EthiCart enables and empowers you to buy products that align with your values.
EthiCart has been awarded funding by the LaunchBox Accelerator Programme and Blackstone’s LaunchPad Summer Fellowship. EthiCart was featured in the Sunday Business Post ‘100 Hot Start-Ups’ and the founders Laura Brennan and Lara Páircéir have been named as two of Ireland’s 30 Under 30.
Field of VIsion
Right now, blind and visually impaired people are largely constrained to experiencing sport games through audio commentary. FIeld of Vision are building a handheld tablet that enables blind people to experience sports matches through haptic feedback and touch.
Business Leaders
Sean Gallagher
Sean Gallagher is an experienced entrepreneur, inspiring speaker and best selling author of ‘Secrets to Success – Inspiring Stories From Leading Entrepreneurs’. He is a former investor on the popular TV series ‘Dragons’ Den’ (Shark Tank in the US). Sean’s passion for business and innovation has fueled his own diverse range of entrepreneurial experiences in sectors from technology and pharma to commercial real estate. Sean Gallagher has also been heavily involved in politics, being an active member of Fianna Fail for 30 years.
Martina Fitzgerald
Martina Fitzgerald has almost twenty years media experience and is the author of the best-selling and critically acclaimed book, ‘Madam Politician: The women at the table of Irish political power’, which was published in 2018. She has also undertaken research on US female politicians at Columbia University in New York and has worked as a volunteer in Laos in southeast Asia, delivering communications and empowerment courses to pre-university women. Currently she is the CEO of Scale Ireland; an independent, not-for-profit organisation which supports, represents and advocates on behalf of Ireland’s tech start-up and scale-up companies.
Tom Flanagan
Tom Flanagan is currently the Director of Enterprise and Commercialisation at NovaUCD, Ireland's leading innovation hub with a strong reputation and a proven track record in assisting start-ups to grow and scale internationally.
Jenny Melia
Jenny Melia joined Enterprise Ireland in 1996 after completing a BSc and PhD in Chemistry in UCD. She initially joined the Research and Innovation Division as a commercialisation specialist based in Trinity College Dublin. Jenny originally planned to stay with the organisation for two years but loved working with companies on their innovation agendas. Twenty three years later, she is as passionate and committed to helping Irish companies to innovate and grow as ever.
Jenny is currently the Divisional Manager for the High Potential Start-up team.