Nine rising Irish start-ups, including companies that manufacture organic beetroot juice and deliver offshore wind modelling using AI, have completed Bord na Móna's 2024 Accelerate Green START programme.
The programme, delivered in conjunction with Resolve Partners, is dedicated to supporting budding innovators from across Ireland who are leading the response to climate action and sustainability.
It was set up as a prequel to Bord na Móna's Accelerate Green GROW Programme to support unprecedented demand from earlier stage businesses to scale their sustainable solutions.
The nine participants in this year's programme included:
EVHACS - A Kildare-based company providing HVAC systems which integrate EV charging.
Airryzen - A Meath-based company using microorganisms to convert carbon dioxide into proteins through photosynthesis.
ReBOT - A Cork-based business delivering offshore wind modelling using AI.
IFF Plastics - A Clare-based company recycling plastics and converting them into eco-friendly fencing posts.
GlowTire - A Galway-based company streamlining the process for farmers who want to use their land for solar farming.
Retrokit - A Cork-based company which provides a software platform enabling housing professionals to optimize retrofit planning.
Biota - A Dublin-based company which provides a software platform enabling enterprises to address biodiversity.
EVE Mobility - A Dublin-based business which enables companies to electrify their fleets.
Feighery's Farm Beetroot Juice - An Offaly-based business which manufactures organic beetroot juice.
The nine startups took part in a six-week programme covering key areas including customer discovery, market mapping, network development, the funding ecosystem, preparation for investment and pitching.
The programme culminated in a pitch event at Bord na Móna's headquarters where participants presented their business ideas to a panel of experts which included Tom Donnellan, CEO of Bord na Móna, Sonya Mallon, Bord na Móna's company secretary and John Carrigan, investment director at The Yield Lab, an accelerator programme that invests in and mentors early-stage companies in the agriculture sector.
Tom Donnellan, CEO of Bord na Móna, said the latest round of graduates of the Accelerate Green START programme are directly representative of the type of innovation in sustainability the programme is designed to support and enable.
"I believe that the participants have benefited from the knowledge sharing and mentorship which the programme provides and they are well placed to continue to grow their ideas and businesses moving forward," Mr Donnellan said.
"Our hope is that graduates of the START programme will continue to grow their businesses and create sustainable jobs while enabling a low-carbon economy," he added.
