Start-Ups Complete Inaugural AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme at NovaUCD
Eleven (11) start-ups have recently completed University College Dublin’s inaugural AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme. The focus of this 6-month programme, delivered by NovaUCD in partnership with CeADAR, Ireland’s Centre for AI, was to support entrepreneurs who are developing disruptive AI solutions for a global market.
The start-ups which completed the programme funded through the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) framework are; ALPACA, Customs Window Technologies, Durotimi AI, Frontier AI, GoMappED, KnowCarbon, La Casa Care, SonnyLabs.ai, Tashka Technology Solutions, Vox Medical and Wrksense.
[See short start-up profiles below.]
Caption for photograph: Backrow pictured (l-r) are; Eamonn Galvin, KnowCarbon; Liana-Anca Tomescu, SonnyLabs.ai; Vikas Jain, Tashka Technology Solutions; Joe Fernandez, ALPACA; Richard Cooke, La Casa Care; Howard Kingston, Frontier AI; Johnny Dunne, Customs Window Technologies. Front row pictured (l-r) are, Liana-Anca Tomescu, SonnyLabs.ai; Dr John Lonsdale, CEO, CeADAR; Marina Donohoe, Head of Research and Innovation, Enterprise Ireland; Prof. Kate Robson Brown, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact, Gavin O’Duffy, Vox Medical; Brian Murphy, Customs Window Technologies and Yuxin Wang, GoMappED.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, through Enterprise Ireland, is leading on the EDIH programme for Ireland and CeADAR has been designated as the European Digital Innovation Hub for AI in Ireland.
During the programme, Customs Window Technologies announced that it closed a €800k seed funding round and Wrksense closed of a €825k pre-seed funding round.
Speaking at the concluding event of the programme, Professor Kate Robson Brown, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact said, “The inaugural AI Ecosystem Programme is the result of dedicated work by the NovaUCD and CeADAR teams, whose expertise and commitment have driven its success supported with funding from the European Digital Innovation Hubs and Enterprise Ireland.”
She added, “The solutions, innovations, and partnerships developed by the participants on the inaugural programme which has just ended hold the potential to make a meaningful impact, thereby further strengthening Ireland’s position as a leader in AI and technology. I would like to congratulate them all on what they have achieved during the last 6-months. Their dedication, resilience, and ambition has set an inspiring standard for future programme participants, and we are excited to support them as they continue to grow in Ireland and beyond.”
Caption: Backrow pictured (l-r) are; Eamonn Galvin, KnowCarbon; Liana-Anca Tomescu, SonnyLabs.ai; Vikas Jain, Tashka Technology Solutions; Joe Fernandez, ALPACA; Richard Cooke, La Casa Care; Howard Kingston, Frontier AI; Johnny Dunne, Customs Window Technologies. Front row pictured (l-r) are, Michelle Doyle, Senior Manager, Strategic Innovation Partnerships, NovaUCD; Dr John Lonsdale, CEO, CeADAR; Marina Donohoe, Head of Research and Innovation, Enterprise Ireland; Prof. Kate Robson Brown, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact, Gavin O’Duffy, Vox Medical; Brian Murphy, Customs Window Technologies; Yuxin Wang, GoMappED and Dr Ricardo Simon Carbajo, Director of Innovation and Development, CeADAR.
(Note in photography: Doyin Bademosi, Durotimi AI and Andrew Connolly, Wrksense.).
The AI Ecosystem Accelerator programme was designed to provide participants with a wide range of resources, from commercial workshops and personalised one-on-one sessions to hotdesk space at NovaUCD and technical support from CeADAR.
Each company was also assigned an entrepreneurial mentor, with additional financial mentoring and support from venture capitalists, angel investors, and Enterprise Ireland. This flexible, tailored approach allowed participants to tap into the resources best suited to their specific business needs, empowering them to create impact.
Other successes of participants include ALPACA and KnowCarbon each securing €100k in Enterprise Ireland PSSF funding and KnowCarbon was accepted onto an EU DeepTech programme.
Beyond funding, participants travelled extensively to expand their customer base, making connections and securing customers in key global markets, including; Dubai, India, the UAE, China, North America, and Canada, reflecting the global ambition of the start-ups and their potential to reach markets well beyond Ireland.
Over half of the participants also availed of interns from UCD undergraduate programmes and the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, who contributed to business development and customer discovery.
NovaUCD will be announcing details of the second AI Ecosytem Accelerator Programme early in the New Year.
ENDS
11 November 2024
For further information contact Micéal Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, UCD Research and Innovation, NovaUCD, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie
Editors Notes
Profiles of the start-ups which completed the inaugural AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme are;
ALPACA is developing an AI-driven early literacy assessment tool. The founders of ALPACA, a Trinity College Dublin spin-out, are Joe Fernandez and Dr Colm Fallon. https://www.alpaca-assessment.com/
Customs Window Technologies is using advanced process automation and AI to provide companies with a smart comprehensive system to address the increasing complexity and volume of customs declarations and associated compliance requirements. The founders of Customs Window are Brian Murphy and Johnny Dunne. https://www.customswindow.com/
Durotimi AI’s SaaS-based platform uses AI and deep learning to give GPs the ability to concurrently check combinations of signs, symptoms and risk factors, in an intuitive format, to improve the early detection of cancer. The founder of Durotimi AI is Doyin Bademosi. https://www.durotimi.com/
Frontier AI is developing an AI-powered workforce augmentation platform. The founder of Frontier AI is Howard Kingston. http://frontierx.ai
GoMappED provides personalise English learning courses to students powered by an AI study plan. The co-founders of GoMappED are, Yuxin Wang, Pat Hamilton, Joseph O'Donoghue and Wenen Wang. https://gomapped.com/home
KnowCarbon has built a platform using AI to calculate product carbon footprints with fewer data points, enabling businesses to pinpoint and reduce emissions. The founder of KnowCarbon is Eamonn Galvin. https://knowcarbon.com/
La Casa Care has developed an AI-based well-being monitoring and improvement solution to reduce the care dependence of older people so they can age well at home. The founder of La Casa Care, a University College Dublin spin-out, is Richard Cooke. https://www.lacasa.care/
SonnyLabs.ai is developing an advanced AI security system for LLMs. The founder of SonnyLabs.ai is Liana-Anca Tomescu. https://sonnylabs.ai
Tashka Technology Solutions is building an AI-enabled medical coding and healthcare analytics platform. The founders of Tashka Technology Solutions are Dr Sandhya Chalasani and Vikas Jain. https://medstarhis.com/
Vox Medical is leveraging AI to reimagine doctor-patient communications. The founders of Vox Medical are Gavin O'Duffy, Lorcan Burke and Dr Jeff O'Sullivan. www.voxmed.ai
Wrksense is an AI-driven HR tech start-up transforming high-volume recruitment. The founders of Wrksense are Andrew Connolly and Ruaidhrí McDonnell. https://www.wrksense.com/
For further information about NovaUCD visit www.novaucd.ie
For further information about CeADAR – Ireland’s Centre for Applied AI visit www.ceadar.ie
For further information about CeADAR’s European Digital Innovation Hub for AI visit www.ceadar.ie/edih
For further information about the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) visit https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/activities/edihs