Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship ‘Propeller’ Accelerator first Demo/Investor Day will see Six Technology Startups Pitch for Funding
The Propeller Venture Accelerator, part of the DCU Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship, has its first Demo/Investor Day in Citywest on the 6th of May. Over seventy investors, from Ireland, the US, the UK and Italy are due to see pitches from the six technology companies on the mentor-led incubation programme. Grant Thornton have been confirmed as sponsors of the Demo Day.
These startups, five from Ireland and one from the UK, cover key technologies such as mobile applications, cleantech, online gaming, health informatics, and internet applications. The Propeller Venture Accelerator was established in 2010 with the funding of €1 million from Irelandia Investments. The aim is to accelerate early stage technology startup companies, both Irish and international, in Dublin. The Propeller Accelerator has taken the successful US accelerator model and adapted it to the Irish context.
The Propeller Accelerator is funded by Irelandia Investments and Declan Ryan (Ryanair), a leading global investor and developer of low cost airlines, who have invested in a number of Low Cost Carriers (LCC's) since 2004 including the recent announcement of a new airline in Columbia called Viva Columbia.
Over forty high corporate mentors from a range of high technology companies as well as serial entrepreneurs have been working with the Propeller companies over the last three months.
“The two key parts of Propeller worked in perfect harmony together,” said Gordon McConnell, Deputy-CEO of the Ryan Academy and Director of the Propeller Venture Accelerator. “A fantastic group of founders and the teams they have been building, and a small army of mentors, both serial entrepreneurs and senior corporate figures.”
“Bringing together both national and international funders at events like these are vital to Ireland’s progression towards a true Smart Economy” he added.
The six technology companies that are presenting are:
Associate Mobile:
associate mobile is improving lives through mobility. Through their persistent locationing analytics technology (PLAT) they develop easy to use platforms that weave into people's everyday lives both professional and personal.
Fantom:
Fantom takes the energy of the schoolyard trading cards game into a new social media dimension, with an added twist of a virtual and actual rewards system. It promises to be next big obsession for tweens, teens and young adults.
GreenEgg Technologies:
GreenEgg Technologies are a cleantech product development company. They have developed a customer engagement platform for Energy Providers, which allows them to reach out to and engage with their customers as well as enabling their customers to connect with their Smart Home.
Healthcomms
Healthcomms, who specialise in ‘In Home’ care communications, have developed a groundbreaking product to make it even easier for the older person at home to maintain communication with their Social care network. Their simple-to-use image based software product, called MyHomeReach, allows two- way visual communication between the elderly, their career, family or medical personnel with nothing more than a touch. MyHomeReach can be used by families or home care professionals and provides additional functions such as inbuilt calendar medication reminders and tracking of care with sign-in and sign- out capability.
Simple LifeForms:
We allow people in real-world locations to play games. M Simple Lifeforms develop game content that make location pages on Facebook, smart phones and the Internet playable, engaging and rewarding and takes this content into the real-world. This unique combination of game and location content within the real-world has the potential to change the way people play games forever whilst creating a highly profitable and sustainable business supporting users who desire this new experience.
Vendorshop:
VendorShop provides the tools a business needs to make social e-commerce happen. Our Facebook shopping cart enables a business to open a store on Facebook and our social e-commerce tool’s to leverage it’s viral nature to attract more customers, lower acquisition costs and increase sales. We are live on Facebook, have thousands of stores and 75,000 monthly active Facebook users.
The Propeller Accelerator was announced as a charter member of the Techstars Network earlier in the year, as well as having agreed partnerships with the Halo Business Angel Network (HBAN) and the Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG).
A number of Irish-based companies have also signed-up to support the Propeller Accelerator programme including software company Sage Ireland, legal company Arthur Cox, marketing and sales company Publicis D and legal intellectual property company Tomkins IP and Deloitte. National Irish organisations such as the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises (ISME) organisation and State agency Enterprise Ireland are also partners. Propeller is also linked to the Venture Catalyst at Arizona State University.
For further information please contact: Gordon McConnell at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or mobile 086 8330536
Or check the Ryan Academy technology blog: www.ryanacademy.wordpress.com
For Media: A press room will be made available on the day – interviews with the companies can be arranged for after the Propeller pitching by contacting Gordon McConnell.
About Propeller Accelerator (http://www.dcu.ie/ryanacademy/propeller.shtml)
The Propeller Accelerator was established in 2010 as part of the DCU Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship. Based on the successful model of Techstars, the Propeller Accelerator provides seed funding, collaboration space and a three-month mentor-led programme for the fast acceleration of early stage technology companies. The areas of interest to the Propeller Accelerator include covered startups in the areas of software, hardware, informatics, sensors and Internet technologies. The Propeller Accelerator is a charter member of the Techstars Network.
About the DCU Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship (www.ryanacademy.ie)
The DCU Ryan Academy is a partnership between Dublin City University and the family of the late Tony Ryan (Ryanair). The Academy exists to promote entrepreneurship and innovation and to use our iconic building in Citywest as a dynamic hub for entrepreneurs and researchers to develop ideas, learn new skills and network. The Ryan Academy is working with researchers and entrepreneurs to help them achieve their potential.
