Seven start-ups chosen for AgTechUCD’s fourth Accelerator Programme
Posted 17 October, 2024
Pictured (l-r) at UCD Lyons Farm are; Selwyn Owen (IONA Minerals); Fionn McCarthy, Eoin Keller and Jack Norman (Zirkulu); Caraldine Nolan (Weighless Wonders); Andrew Moore (Evogen); Daniel O’Reilly (Aerial AG Ireland) and Seamus Kenny (Auto Coupler). Credit: Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland
Seven early-stage AgTech and Agrifood start-ups have been selected for AgTechUCD’s fourth accelerator programme.
The 2024 programme is an intensive 12-week hybrid programme, tailored to address the particular needs and challenges facing AgTech and Agrifood start-ups.
The programme is focused on fast tracking the business development and leadership skills of participants and on providing them with the support and guidance needed to accelerate the growth and development of their start-ups.
The start-ups that will participate this year are Aerial AG Ireland (Dublin), Auto Coupler (Kilkenny), Evogen (Dublin), IONA Minerals (Anglesey, Wales), RoboCrop (Kildare), Weighless Wonders (Dublin) and Zirkulu (Cork).
“During the next 12 weeks we will be focused on supporting the commercial development and growth of the participating start-ups as they develop their ag and food tech-related businesses with national and international potential,” said Gary Ryan, Director, AgTechUCD.
“The focus on solutions delivering improved sustainability, efficiency and profitability in the agfood value chain is welcome and is very much in line with the overall focus of AgTechUCD.
“During the programme we will also be working with this year’s cohort to help them to increase their profile, to attract customers and investors and to forge new partnerships at home and further afield.”
The AgTechUCD Agccelerator Programme includes dedicated business development workshops and investor readiness training, mentoring from industry experts and business advisors, guest speakers and facilitated introductions to AgTechUCD’s venture capital and business angel networks.
The in-person workshops will take place in the AgTechUCD Innovation Centre at UCD Lyons Farm in Kildare.
Twenty-seven start-ups, including MyGug and Proveye, have completed the three AgTechUCD Agccelerator programmes delivered to date.
Since completing the 2022 programme, MyGug, a West Cork-based company which is at the forefront of innovation in food waste management, has secured €900k in funding and was named the winner of the Sustainability Award at the 2023 Irish Times Innovation Awards.
Likewise, completing the 2021 programme, Proveye, a UCD spin-out headquartered at NovaUCD and a leader in remote sensing image analysis for agriculture, has secured €1 million in seed funding.
The company was also recently name as one of the 15 start-ups, chosen from over 800 applications, for the 2024 AWS Clean Energy Accelerator 4.0 programme, Generative AI Energy Lab edition.
AgTechUCD, which is part of NovaUCD, is focused on promoting and accelerating the launch and scaling of start-ups and SMEs, in Ireland and internationally, with disruptive innovations in the agtech, agri-food and vettech sectors, as they build their innovative businesses into leading job creating companies on the global stage.
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations (with materials from Micéal Whelan, UCD Research and Innovation)
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
