Ten Founders Graduate From The New Frontiers Programme In The Northwest

On 20th March, 10 ambitious new founders graduated from Phase 2 of the New Frontiers programme in Ireland’s northwest. The ceremony, held at Atlantic Technological University’s ATU Sligo Innovation Centre, brought together stakeholders from the local and national startup ecosystem and gave the entrepreneurs a chance to pitch for one of three awards.

The guest speaker this year was New Frontiers alumnus Kieran Supple, CEO and founder of Reap Interactive (trading as BovinePlus). The Roscommon-based agritech company won the prestigious ‘Start-Up Innovator of the Year’ award at the 2024 Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards, held at the National Ploughing Championships. Their innovative product, BovinePlus, uses AI and image analysis for real-time livestock tracking and is steadily gaining traction in the market after significant private investment.

Speaking at the ceremony, Brendan Jennings, Chief Officer Research, Innovation & Engagement at ATU said, “Embedding Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers programme within ATU plays a vital role in supporting balanced regional development. Participants are making a meaningful contribution to the indigenous business community and helping to drive the region’s economic growth. 

“Many of you have already benefitted from engaging with the wider ATU community throughout your time on the programme—drawing on the expertise, insights, and support of academic staff and students as you progressed through your development phase. We hope you will continue to stay connected with the university and make use of its services long after you have completed the programme, helping to strengthen and accelerate the growth of your businesses.”

The pitch winners were announced after deliberation by the judges. Congratulations to:

• Most Investable Start-Up Award (sponsored by PGIM): Chris Cornwall of Arlo
• One to Watch Award (sponsored by ATU): Shania Taite of Saorla
• Best Pitch Award (sponsored by AIB): Connor Feehily of Qora EPOS

Speaking at the event, Programme Manager Geraldine Beirne congratulated the cohort, noting that they have worked extremely hard on their businesses and their commitment has been without question despite any bumps along the way. “I want to finish by saying to the participants, do remember that going forward there will always be help from all of us here in the extended team. Be it a desk, office space, or advice, the door is always open. If you need help looking for intern or graduate recruitment or a meeting room, if you need to host an investor or need to bounce something off us – we are here […] I personally have been honoured to support your businesses over the last 6 months, and we look forward to continuing to work with you in some shape or form in the future.” 

The New Frontiers cohort in the northwest

The founders from this latest cohort are based in Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Roscommon, Galway, and Kildare. They are:

Chris Cornwall of Arlo

Arlo generates medical notes, referral letters and patient summaries in real-time and seamlessly syncs these with existing patient management software.

Connor Feehily of Qora EPOS

Qora EPOS automates supplier order management using AI email parsing and inventory gap matching, eliminating manual data entry and reducing costly errors.

Donal McLynn of Trinity Drinks

A health & wellness beverage.

Eoghan Matthews of CeolConnect

CeolConnect is a booking platform for venues to discover, connect and manage live musician bookings at the touch of a button.

Hannah Kelly of insigli

insigli helps marketing agencies who spend days pulling together data and reports from disconnected marketing tools have client-ready performance reports with ROI attribution and recommendations in line with their goals and targets in minutes.

Jennie Carr of Isle Skincare

A natural skincare brand developing innovative body care products using high-quality, Irish-made ingredients, starting with a targeted tallow-based balm.

Joanna Frivet of LegalMoov

Digital legal platform for client booking and onboarding for lawyers.

Mamta Bhardwaj of Insight Pulse

An AI-powered analytics tool that helps SMEs understand and improve their marketing performance through clear and actionable insights, no marketing expertise needed.

Shania Taite of Saorla

Saorla’s first product is LullaMED – a paediatric seating solution for 0-9-month-old babies, designed to support a calmer, safer, and more efficient treatment experience for clinicians, babies, and parents.

Swas Sahu of Stock Trading Studio

Cloud platform providing financial and economic data with built-in research and analysis tools for finance professionals, researchers, and analysts.

Best of luck to these founders as they take the next steps with their businesses!

Calling startup founders in the northwest

The New Frontiers programme in the northwest is based at two campuses of Atlantic Technological University (ATU) – the Donegal Letterkenny Campus and the Sligo Campus. The New Frontiers Programme Manager in the northwest is Geraldine Beirne. Find out more about Geraldine and the northwest’s dual-location programme or see our upcoming application deadlines.