19 May 2017
Twelve finalists remain to battle it out to claim their share of the £33K prize fund and a chance to attend NI Tech Mission to California.
Twelve innovators have secured their place in the final of INVENT 2017, prestigious annual competition run by Connect at Catalyst Inc and sponsored by Bank of Ireland UK.
A packed audience came together at Belfast Waterfront to watch this year’s 24 high calibre semi-finalists pitch for a hotly contested place in the finals. Getting through to October’s final presents them with the opportunity to win a share of the £33,000 prize fund and a priceless place on the NI Tech Mission to California.
INVENT is Northern Ireland’s showcase competition for the rapidly developing knowledge economy. Over the course of 9mths it challenges and develops the ideas, proof-of-concepts and prototypes of inventors, entrepreneurs, scientists and start-ups from across Northern Ireland. The aim is to discover and maximise the commercial potential of their ideas further and reduce go-to-market risk.
This year’s highly experienced judging panel included Andrew Sloane, Investment Lead at Accelerated Digital Ventures, Julia Groves, partner and Head of Crowdfunding at Downing LLP, Conor Clarke, Investment Associate at Eli Global, Nicola McClafferty Investment director at Draper Esprit and Gavin Kennedy Head of Business Banking NI at Bank of Ireland UK.
INVENT programme manager, Kerry McGarvey, commented: “I was amazed to see the number of local product innovations that came through INVENT this year. We had a record number of entries and the quality was phenomenal. At the semi-final each team had just three minutes to convince the judges that their solution for the problem they identified had the potential to succeed – all twenty four semi-finalists did an outstanding job and the twelve selected for the final are brilliant examples of NI’s booming knowledge economy.”
Gavin Kennedy, Head of Business Banking NI, Bank of Ireland UK explained, “We understand the importance of what entrepreneurs are building and the valuable contribution they make. Bank of Ireland is very proud of its partnership with INVENT in supporting these innovators because what they are doing is not only incredibly exciting but also extremely important to the NI Economy as they become the SMEs of the future.
The climax of the competition, sponsored by Bank of Ireland UK, is the gala Invent Awards night, being held at the Belfast Waterfront on Thursday 5th October 2017. Over 600 investors, entrepreneurs, executives and top research scientists will gather to hear the announcement of the winners. Tickets are on sale now at www.invent2017.co
The chosen finalists of INVENT 2017 are:
Electronics
Evy – Smart tracking bag.
DITACA- Securing distributed critical systems via the cloud
Creative Media & Consumer Internet
Seatview- 360 degree virtual reality seat views
Farm TV- Agricultural video content platform
Agri Science
The Skinny Sauce Company- Sugar free, gluten free all natural sauces
KegoMatic- Automated beer keg solution
Engineering
Hug- Discreet wearable heatpack
Edde by Iris- Water rescue device
Life and Health
The Blinky Company- Intelligent buggy blanket
Phion Therapeutics- Targeted and controlled drug delivery technology
Enterprise Software
ProtectBox- Automating and simplifying the identification of cyber security solutions
Uleska- Fast, proactive and scalable application of security features.
Photo 2: The 12 Finalists with judges and sponsor Bank of Ireland UK
NOTES TO EDITORS
INVENT is an annual competition that showcases and rewards local innovations that promise the greatest potential. It’s an opportunity to gain high-profile exposure; to market-validate ideas; to unlock a quality network of influencers and to win a place on the NI Tech Mission to California. There’s also a prize fund of £33,000, shared by the winners.
For more information on Invent 2017 visit www.invent2017.co or contact Invent Programme Manager Kerry McGarvey Kerry.mcgarvey@catalyst-inc.org.
About Connect
Connect is a not-for-profit network of experienced entrepreneurs, business professionals and top research talent. We’re dedicated to the creation and scaling of innovation companies in Northern Ireland. Every year we help over 500 local entrepreneurs to aim higher and succeed faster. Based on the proven University of California Connect model, we run intensive development programmes, track NI’s knowledge economy and nurture the entrepreneurial spirit of young people. We introduce our programme participants to a network of potential investors and help plug gaps in their business knowledge. We’re supported by corporate partners, underwritten by Catalyst Inc and don’t take equity in the organisations we help. That’s because our vision is for Northern Ireland to become one of the most entrepreneurial knowledge economies in Europe by 2030.
Press Contact
Kerry McGarvey, Invent Programme Manager
Kerry.mcgarvey@catalyst-inc.org
Telephone: 02890737792