Catalyst has revealed the finalists of INVENT 2024, a competition for aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland.
Organised by the science and technology hub with headline partner Bank of Ireland, the INVENT showcase is the main event of the year for early-stage startups and aspiring entrepreneurs to showcase their innovations to a panel of expert judges.
To reflect the different forms that innovation takes, this year’s INVENT has refreshed its awards into six new categories: Green Horizons, Living Well, Creative Leisure, BioBreakthroughs, Unchartered Ideas and Future Business.
From reimagining leisure experiences to exploring environmental solutions, each category has produced finalists who have created a product or service that stands out and solves a real-world problem faced in these industries.
The 12 finalists are below.
Green Horizons
e-breathe – a catalytic converter to destroy >99% of exhaled nitrous oxide. Making childbirth more climate friendly.
zeco – a circular wool fibre insulation which will reduce fuel poverty while eradicating the incineration of thousands of tonnes of waste.
Living Well
MediPacks Ltd – an innovative solution, compact and portable, guarantees swift access to life-saving medication during suspected heart attacks, empowering individuals and communities to act decisively in crucial moments.
Cybersyd – an app that allows young people to talk about and report their bullying concerns through a conversation with their chatbot ‘Syd’. These reports are sent to their school’s CyberSyd portal so that they can be dealt with effectively and confidentially, whilst providing their school administration with bullying statistics.
Creative Leisure
KIJN – SmartFit leggings and tops provide innovative, sustainable leak protection for women experiencing menstrual, urinary, and breast leaks. The multi-layer technology offers dynamic absorbency, comfort, and style, empowering women to live confidently without worry.
The Switchboard Network – An online room booking and management system for organisations, it makes finding and booking that perfect venue more straight-forward.
BioBreakthroughs
Dia Beta Labs Ltd – Dia Beta Labs are developing transformative treatments which take a wholistic approach to metabolic disease management. These provide high quality, sustainable weight loss through preferential targeting of fat whilst sparing muscle. Additionally, they rescue insulin-producing cells of the pancreas which are lost over time as the disease progresses.
Galvani TECH – a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is a small heart pump used in advanced heart failure patients. Their high-power requirement necessitates a driveline passing through the skin, leading to severe complications. At Galvani TECH we have developed a novel wireless power supply for LVADs which eliminates the driveline.
Unchartered Ideas
TalkTerms – AI-driven platform revolutionises dispute and claims resolution, prioritising efficiency, transparency, and cost-effectiveness. It accelerates claims resolution, reduces costs, and fosters a streamlined dispute resolution system.
Bikeloxz – this new Bicycle Locking device protects quick release Wheels & Seats from being stolen via a new Lever Lock and Secure Nut stopping Thieves making off with your valuable assets.
Future Business
ITUS Secure Technologies – helps small businesses to understand and manage their cyber risk through our propriety security score and in return they get access to fairer priced cyber insurance.
Equipple – an application that is dedicated to reducing workload by helping schools streamline parent-teacher meetings. They digitise the scheduling and automate the notes by syncing pupil data into a best-practice template, bringing together the scheduling and the meeting notes in a user experience that is simple and intuitive.
INVENT’s overall prize totals £55,000, with each category winner taking home £5,000 and the overall winner walking away with an additional £20,000.
Last year’s winner, Plugable, has since launched its pilot in the UK & Irish markets, introduced its B2B product, opened a fundraising round and raised £150k in equity-free funding – all while remaining bootstrapped.
Meg Magill, INVENT Programme Manager at Catalyst, said: “Every year we are amazed by the talented pool of entrepreneurs across Northern Ireland and this year’s participants are no different.
“With six new categories this year, we are delighted to see the 2024 INVENT candidates create clever, problem-solving and commercially thought-out ideas across a range of industries. Good luck to all finalists and we look forward to the awards ceremony in October.”