Eleven Start-ups Selected for University College Dublin’s New AI Accelerator Programme
The eleven (11) start-ups selected to participate in University College Dublin’s (UCD) new AI Ecosystem Accelerator programme were announced today. The focus of this new accelerator programme is to support entrepreneurs who are developing disruptive AI (artificial intelligence) solutions for a global market.
The participating start-ups are; ALPACA, Customs Window, Durotimi AI, Frontier AI, GoMappED, KnowCarbon, La Casa Care, SonnyLabs.ai, Tashka Technology Solutions, VoxMed.AI and wrksense. (See profiles below).
The 6-month AI Ecosystem Accelerator programme, beginning today, will be delivered by NovaUCD, the hub of innovation and start-up activities at UCD, in partnership with CeADAR, Ireland’s National Centre for Applied AI.
The programme is funded through the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) framework, a Europe-wide initiative with funding of €700 million from both the European Commission and the Governments of member states. 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.
Pictured (l-r) at NovaUCD are; Tom Flanagan, UCD Director of Enterprise and Commercialisation; Dara Calleary TD, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation; Professor Kate Robson Brown, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact and Dr Ricardo Simon Carbajo, Director of Innovation and Development, CeADAR.
Speaking at NovaUCD, Dara Calleary TD, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, said, “I am delighted to be at University College Dublin for the launch of the inaugural AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme. Meeting with the entrepreneurs taking part in this exciting programme I am pleased to see that in keeping with ‘AI- Here For Good’, the Government’s national AI strategy, the participating start-ups are focused on using AI to benefit citizens and the way we live and work.
The dedicated supports and mentoring which will now be provided by NovaUCD and CeADAR during the coming months will help the start-ups to accelerate their growth and development in Ireland, and also on the international stage, and I wish them every success.
I am delighted that the funding for this important accelerator programme has been received via European Digital Innovation Hubs as the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, through Enterprise Ireland, is leading on the EDIH programme for Ireland.”
Pictured (l-r) at NovaUCD are; Eamonn Galvin, KnowCarbon; Dara Calleary TD, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation; Yuxin Wang, GoMappED and Joe Fernandez, ALPACA.
Targeted supports for the 11 participating start-ups over the next 6-months include a dedicated commercial mentor and workshops on value proposition, route to market, sales strategies, and securing investment.
Participants will have access to co-working space at NovaUCD and access to the NovaUCD community of founders, investors, business partners and student interns. They will also have access to CeADAR’s EDIH for AI services which include AI technologies, and research expertise with technical mentorship.
Professor Kate Robson Brown, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact said, “The Government’s ambition is that Ireland becomes a leading country in using AI for the benefit of people. Through this new AI Ecosystem Accelerator programme starting today UCD is supporting a dynamic cohort of Irish start-ups and entrepreneurs who are focused on using AI technologies to deliver a range of disruptive products and services, for the benefit of society, not only here in Ireland, but on a global stage.”
She added, “There was a great demand from start-ups across Ireland to take part in the programme which will be delivered by NovaUCD and CeADAR, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the 11 selected start-ups. I am looking forward to attending the showcase event at the end of the programme to learn more about how the participants have accelerated their start-ups to the next level and to find out more about their global ambitions.”
Pictured (l-r) at NovaUCD are; Professor Kate Robson Brown, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact; Richard Cooke, La Casa Care; Dara Calleary TD, Minister of State for Tade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation and Yuxin Wang, GoMappED.
Emma Callinan, Director of Commercialisation, Enterprise Ireland, said, “The AI Ecosystem Accelerator programme will provide entrepreneurs across sectors including Healthcare, Cybersecurity, Education, and Sustainability with the opportunity to advance their AI start-ups through a range of targeted technical and commercial supports. Enterprise Ireland is delighted to welcome the 11 start-ups into the ecosystem of successful AI entrepreneurs, and we look forward to supporting them on their transformative journeys as they develop disruptive AI solutions with a global impact.”
Pictured (l-r) at NovaUCD are; Liana-Anca Tomescu, SonnyLabs.ai; Doyin Bademosi, Durotimi AI; Dara Calleary TD, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation and Andrew Connolly, wrksense
Since opening in 2003 NovaUCD has developed arksense strong track record and has supported 550+ start-ups and early-stage ventures through the services it provides, and through business support programmes run and managed by NovaUCD. In addition, the NovaUCD entrepreneurial community has now raised €1.3+ billion in equity funding.
CeADAR’s mission is to help industry in Ireland adopt AI as the National Centre and the European Digital Innovation Hub in AI for Ireland. The Centre has been awarded a multi-million-euro project as part of the EDIH programme to support start-ups, enterprises (with under 3,000 employees) and public sector organisation from all over Ireland who are at the early stage of their AI journey or just curious to find out how using data can benefit their business.
Pictured (l-r) at NovaUCD are; Vikas Jain, Tashka Technology Solutions; Johnny Dunne, Custom Windows; Dara Calleary TD, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation; and Gavin O'Duffy, VoxMed.AI.
Among the mentors who will be working with participants during the programme are; serial entrepreneur, Niamh Sterling; Aidan Finn, Binarii Labs; Mitchell O’Gorman, xWave Technologies; Lucinda Kelly; Tara Looney, both start-up advisors; and Ronan Murphy, Smarttech247 and GetVisibility.
The 6-month AI Ecosystem Accelerator programme will end with a showcase event to be held in October.
ENDS
9 May 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 participating in the inaugural AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme;
Pictured at NovaUCD with participants on the programme are; to the far left, Tom Flanagan, UCD Director of Enterprise and Commercialisation, Michelle Doyle, Senior Manager, Strategic Innovation Partnerships; Professor Kate Robson Brown, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact; Minister Calleary TD (centre) and to far right, Nathalie Norton, CeADAR; Roopesh Bharatwaj KR, Senior Data Scientist, CeADAR and Dr Ricardo Simon Carbajo, Director of Innovation and Development, CeADAR.
Note: Absent Howard Kingston, Frontier AI.
ALPACA is on a mission to change the wait to fail education system by making the invisible, visible early in young learners. Employing AI and data modelling, ALPACA’s gamified assessment instruments proactively identify infants at risk of reading challenges before they can read print, enabling timely and appropriate educational responses. The founders of ALPACA, a Trinity College Dublin spin-out, are Joe Fernandez and Dr Colm Fallon. https://www.alpaca-assessment.com/
Customs Window is using advanced process automation and AI to simplify and manage the data set required by companies for EU customs declarations. The company provides an integrated platform and open API to simplify the customs declaration creation and submission process while ensuring effective data management and reporting for compliance and risJohnny Dunnek management. The founders of Customs Window are Brian Murphy and . https://www.customswindow.com/
Durotimi AI is on a mission to minimise the risk of delay and errors in cancer diagnosis. By using AI and deep learning, the company’s SaaS-based platform gives 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. https://frontieracademy.ai/
GoMappED provides high-quality, affordable online English courses to students around the globe through an innovative virtual classroom platform - Kells Class. Its integrated system enhances the learning experience with learning performance analysis, personalised study plan and simplifies course management through automated processes. The co-founders of GoMappED are, Yuxin Wang, Pat Hamilton, Joseph O'Donoghue and Wenen Wang. https://gomapped.com/home
Businesses require product carbon footprint emissions data for reporting, internal strategy, competitive benchmarking, and consumer communication. 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 delivers technology solutions to care providers to support the needs of patients with clinical needs, and older people to live independently at home. Its technology uses AI to personalise and improve care with preventative interventions that complement existing integrated care pathways. The founder of La Casa Care, a University College Dublin spin-out, is Richard Cooke. https://www.lacasa.care/
SonnyLabs.ai is an advanced AI security product designed to ensure trust and safety in AI applications. The platform specialises in detecting threats to Generative AI apps, including prompt injections, sensitive information leaks, and toxic outputs. Recognising the unique vulnerabilities inherent to AI systems, SonnyLabs.ai leverages its highly efficient, privacy-first AI engine to identify and block these risks in real-time. The founders of SonnyLabs.ai are Liana-Anca Tomescu and Paddy O’Conbhui. https://sonnylabs.ai/
Tashka Technology Solutions is building Medstar a digital healthcare infrastructure and autonomous medical coding platform. Medical coding, used in over 100 countries, is the process of transforming healthcare diagnoses, procedures, and clinical charts into universal medical alphanumeric codes. The Medstar platform automates medical coding through Natural Language Processing and AI by analyzing, organizing, and mapping medical records to the appropriate codes, e.g. CPT, ICD-10, HCPCS. The founders of Tashka Technology Solutions are Dr Sandhya Chalasani and Vikas Jain. https://medstarhis.com/
VoxMed.AI is an AI-driven communications platform that uses a medical Large Language Model (LLM) along with advanced Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) technology to help clinical staff deliver information and support to patients. The founders of VoxMed.AI are Gavin O'Duffy and Dr Jeff O'Sullivan.
wrksense is developing a cutting-edge AI and automation platform designed to enhance the way recruitment agencies connect their candidates with clients. The founders of wrksense are Andrew Connolly and Ruaidhri McDonnell. https://www.wrksense.com/
For further information about the AI Ecosystem Accelerator visit www.ucd.ie/innovation/aiecosystem/
For further information about NovaUCD visit www.novaucd.ie
For further information about CeADAR – Ireland’s National 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