A Cohort Of Ambitious Entrepreneurs Graduates From New Frontiers In The Midwest

At the end of March, a new cohort of founders graduated from Phase 2 of the New Frontiers programme in Limerick. The event brought together a wide range of stakeholders to engage directly with these ambitious early-stage entrepreneurs, creating space for meaningful conversations around collaboration, funding and growth.

The programme in the Midwest is delivered by Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) in collaboration with UL Nexus. As well as the live founder pitch competition, the Start-up Awards 2026 provided a focused opportunity to connect with investors, enterprise agencies, corporate partners, and experienced entrepreneurs.

The award-winners this year were:

• TUS Startup of the Year: Dr Rachel Power of Calm & Free (with €2,000 cash prize money, legal consultancy from Holmes, and mentoring from Averian and Resolve Partners)
• Best Innovation Award: Sarah Hayes of Fastwave (with €1,000 cash prize money and support from Holmes and Averian)
• One to Watch Award: Hugh McNally of CarPal (with €1,000 cash prize money and support from Holmes and Averian)

The keynote address was delivered by John Cleary, founder and CEO of Eventmaster. A graduate of the LEAP programme – the predecessor to New Frontiers – he has scaled Eventmaster into one of Ireland’s leading event technology platforms. He is also the founder and former Event Director of the Great Limerick Run, which he developed into Ireland’s largest mass-participation event outside Dublin. John shared insights from building and growing a business from early-stage concept through to investment-backed scale.

This year’s New Frontiers cohort reflects a diverse mix of ventures across digital, sustainability, health, consumer and industrial sectors. Each founder has identified and validated a real market need and is now working to translate that into a viable product, whether through technical development, prototyping, or early customer engagement.

Speaking after the event, Programme Manager Mary Casey commented, “The TUS Business Startup Awards is a celebration of 13 founders who have shown resilience, creativity, and determination throughout the New Frontiers programme. Over the past six months, they have embraced every opportunity – from intensive training to invaluable mentorship – making incredible strides in their ventures. Their progress shows what’s possible when founders are supported with the right skills, confidence, and networks. Though finishing the programme, they are only the start of their journey – I have no doubt they will go on to achieve great things.”

The New Frontiers cohort in Limerick

Some ventures are already gaining traction, securing initial customers and generating early revenue, while others are tackling more technically complex challenges as they progress toward commercialisation. The graduates from Limerick are:

Brendan Shinnors of Devyber

Devyber delivers an engineering-control solution that reduces hand-arm vibration at the source. The advanced vibration-dampening handle wrap fits power tools and gardening equipment, improving safety and comfort beyond traditional PPE. Durable, ergonomic, and easy to apply, it helps prevent long-term vibration injuries across industrial, professional, and domestic settings.

Brian Garvey of Tribal Drinks

Tribal Drinks is a natural food supplement company developing clinically informed functional nutrition products for GLP-1 users and pre-diabetic populations in ready-to-mix powdered sachet format, addressing micronutrient deficiencies and medication side effects.

Eimear Lynch of No Mum Told Me

No Mum Told Me is an online platform that supports new mothers who feel isolated, overwhelmed, and unsure postpartum by giving them credible expert advice and a rich community right when they need it. Unlike existing options, it combines credible, evidence-based support with real connection, giving mums a space they trust and a community they can lean on.

Eoin Keller of Lurra Bio

Lurra Bio develops bio-based, biodegradable fertiliser coatings for the professional turf market that improve nutrient efficiency, reduce runoff, and comply with EU regulations on biodegradability ahead of the 2028 ban on non-degradable coatings.

Gillian Shannon of HY-GEN-IST

HY-GEN-IST develops oral care products for customers seeking clean, chemical-free formulations with science-backed performance. Designed by a double award-winning dental hygienist, the products support the oral microbiome to help protect against tooth staining, acid wear, and oral dryness. Oral care for our people, our planet, and our future.

Greta Adomaviciute of Carbona

Carbona is a performance nutrition brand built specifically for female physiology, created to address the long-standing gap in sports nutrition for women. Through a structured fuelling system designed around how women actually train, Carbona supports more consistent energy, improved fuelling tolerance, and stronger training outcomes. By replacing generic, one-size-fits-all products with a female-specific approach, Carbona helps active women train with greater confidence and consistency.

Hugh McNally of CarPal

By reversing the traditional listing model, CarPal allows buyers to submit a single, structured request and receive personalised offers directly from verified dealers. The platform addresses a growing inefficiency in digital automotive retail: high advertising spend generating low-quality leads. CarPal is being developed by an experienced founding team with strong automotive data, dealer network, and SaaS delivery expertise.

Matthew Kelly of SAR Command

SAR Command, an AI search-and-rescue planning app, uses the incident location, weather, tides, and local terrain to suggest search areas, drift paths, and tasking plans for Coast Guard and mountain rescue teams. It will cut planning time, deploy teams faster with live tracking, and improve responder safety en route to the casualty.

Mykola Babiy of WinnerFlags

WinnerFlags is the data layer for the night-time economy. It transforms cultural engagement into decision-ready intelligence using collectible QR cards, opt-in audience signals, and live dashboards. Cities and night mayors gain real-time insight into attendance, sentiment, and behaviour. Proven in Limerick: 5,000+ data points, delivering 33× higher engagement than traditional research.

Rachel Power of Calm & Free

Founded by consultant paediatrician and mother Dr Rachel Power, Calm & Free delivers science-led skincare and nutritional supplements for babies and children. Built on clinical insight and real-world parenting, it offers calm, effective solutions for sensitive skin. Calm & Free is the trusted go-to solution for modern parents who want care without compromise.

Sam Sorensen of Cyberlynk

Cyberlynk streamlines the manufacturing industry’s path to production readiness through a novel, cybersecure integration IoT device. By enabling early system integration testing, Cyberlynk allows integration issues to be identified and resolved long before equipment arrives on-site. This results in de-risking both new production lines and upgrades; reduces costly delays; minimises travel and carbon emissions; and delivers greater project efficiency and project transparency.

Sarah Hayes of Fastwave

FastWave is a cloud-based sports tech software platform which automates the competition entry process for competitive swimming, including payment processing and eligibility criteria check. FastWave helps volunteers and NGBs alike to streamline how they operate, saving time and stress and improving financial governance and data collection, which in turn improves visibility at a national level, helping talent identification and increasing participation rates by simplifying how to get competing.

Sherin Sebastian of QuietSignals

Ecommerce brands lose 30% to 40% of customers in 60 days, with no idea why. Meanwhile, AI agents won’t recommend brands without authentic customer feedback. QuietSignals is an AI coworker that launches strategic, trigger-based voice feedback campaigns after purchase to capture insights. The AI analyses what customer say to help brands stop churn, improve products, and get recommended by AI agents.

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

Calling startup founders in the Midwest

The New Frontiers programme in Limerick is delivered by Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) in collaboration with the University of Limerick, giving participants access to the expertise, facilities, and resources of both locations. Run by New Frontiers Programme Manager Mary Casey, the programme is co-located in the Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre on the TUS Limerick Campus and UL Nexus. Find out more about Mary and our Limerick location or see our upcoming application deadlines.