The annual SeedCorn Investor Readiness Competition, organized by InterTradeIreland, gives start-ups and early-stage businesses the perfect opportunity to become ‘Investor ready’. The lineup of nominees and finalists for this year’s SeedCorn competition showcased an impressive representation of Furthr’s clients. Founders who have collaborated with Furthr at different stages of their entrepreneurial journey dominated in both the Early Stage Regional and New Start Regional categories.
Why is SeedCorn important?
The SeedCorn Investor Readiness Competition is the largest business competition of its kind on the Island of Ireland, with an overall prize fund of €300,000. Although the ecosystem was bustling with activity during the year, the challenges that were posed to the founders weren’t the easiest! Congratulations to all the winners, who persevered to come out the other side, demonstrating the epitome of resilience, tenacity, and innovation.
Who are Furthr?
Furthr has been supporting start-ups for over 35 years across a multitude of sectors. Furthr continues to empower entrepreneurs to start and scale new businesses by providing access to the funding, programmes and connections required to advance their ambitions. With a wealth of knowledge and experience gained over the years, Furthr is a trusted partner for ambitious founders.
Furthr is proud to have supported many of the shortlisted start-ups across different stages in their journey. Furthr’s offerings not only include PSSF support and HPSU support but they also provide a range of business supports from concept validation, product-market fit, business plans and pitch decks- all of which are essential for a successful start-up. It is an honor to have had the opportunity to support these promising start-ups which enabled them to win their seed funding. Let’s look at some of the Furthr-supported winners and their journeys with us.
Early Stage Regional Winners
Galenband (Connacht & Leinster)
Galenband won the Early-Stage Regional for Connacht & Leinster. Galenband, a MedTech start-up, was founded by a team with deep experience in the commercialisation of disruptive medical technologies. They have developed a wearable device and a complementary AI-driven platform that provides clinicians with continuous monitoring of heart data, helping them screen more individuals. The team was part of Furthr’s one-to-one mentorship during their business planning stage.
Electric Vehicle Ecosystem (EVE) –(Dublin)
Electric Vehicle Ecosystem, conceptualized in 2020, won the Early-Stage Regional for Dublin. They are committed to working on driving the electrification of corporate fleets. Their solution focuses effectively on AI/ML driven analytics while integrating ESG reporting, all as part of a mission to achieve a net-zero economy to reverse the effects of the ongoing climate crisis. The founder was part of the one-day pre-accelerator workshop Ready, Set, Go Furthr and worked with one of our consultants thereafter during its conception and early development.
New Start Regional Winners
Omuu Petfood (Connacht & Leinster)
Omuu Petfood is building a food brand for dogs that protects them against the most common health issues and they won the New Start Regional for Connacht & Leinster. Founder of Omuu, Dr. Frank Clarke, dedicates his years of experience as a vet and his love for the natural environment towards offering a sustainable pet food option. Dr. Frank worked with one of the consultants at Furthr, during the company’s business planning stage and continues to collaborate with Furthr in his journey. He also took part in Pitch Jam where he received amazing feedback from the judges and audience.
Brace Social (Dublin)
Brace Social won this year’s New Start Regional for Dublin. Brace Social brings in people going through injury recovery journeys and physiotherapists to ensure the people have a holistic recovery process in a fun, gamified way. Conor Motyer, the founder who has had personal experiences, commits to positively reinventing the recovery experience through connection and empowerment. The founding team works closely with one of Furthr Consultants right from their early stage trying to raise their pre-seed rounds and continues to collaborate on their journey ahead.
10 of the 12 regional finalists for regions Connacht & Leinster and Dublin have worked with Furthr consultants in some capacity during their growth journey. Congratulations to the other finalists we have supported – Evidence Based Tools, Perspectives Ireland Consulting, Watt Footprint, Sersha AI, AI Map IT and Tilt Roleplay.
