Digital start-up Wia wins follow-on investment of up to €30,000 at NDRC’s Investor Day

Wia – a digital start-up providing services to enable the Internet of Things has secured €30,000 follow on investment at NDRC’s Investor Day, yesterday (last night). NDRC is an early stage investor in new digital businesses.

There were 11 companies pitching to a panel of investors at the event, all looking to secure next stage investment. Judges included Ben Hurley, CEO NDRC; Daniel McCaughan, Kernel-Capital; David Bowles, Delta Partners and Conor Stanley, Tribal VC. The NDRC Investor Day was sponsored by Bank of Ireland.

NDRC and Microsoft have been partners since 2014 and the keynote address was delivered by Microsoft International President, Jean-Philippe Courtois.

The winning venture, Wia provides a service for developers building Internet of Things applications. The Wia platform helps developers to connect devices easily and seamlessly including the sending of sensor data over the Internet.  Instead of developers spending months writing code, Wia helps them to bring their ideas to life in minutes.

All 11 companies pitching for further investment have taken part in NDRC’s LaunchPad and Catalyser programmes, where they receive intensive mentoring and commercialisation support, along with micro seed investment, enabling them to develop their digital businesses. To date NDRC have invested in over 200 companies and its portfolio of companies has a market cap of over €250m. Recent NDRC alumni include Boxever and Soundwave.

Pictured are Conall Laverty, founder, Wia, Ben Hurley, CEO, NDRC, Liam McLoughlin, Chief Executive, Retail Ireland, Bank of Ireland.
Picture by Shane O’Neill Photography.

Speaking after the event, Ben Hurley, CEO NDRC said:
“We have worked closely with all of these companies; helping them refine their proposition, research their target market and checking their commercial and business projections. This event is the crucial next stage, where they have to prove that they are ready to answer the requirements of the investment community. Wia really did that with a compelling solution which further enables the Internet of Things including connectivity and information sharing between devices and sensors everywhere.

“NDRC ventures continue to attract record levels of follow on investment both nationally and internationally. The pipeline of emerging indigenous tech companies remains strong and investor interest high which is a key metric for us”.

Jean-Philippe Courtois, President Microsoft International said:
“Microsoft is delighted to actively support the vibrant ecosystem of startups in Ireland. Through BizSpark and BizSpark Plus, Microsoft provides technical support, business insight, software and Azure cloud to new businesses – helping them to grow and scale. 400 high potential Irish companies have benefited from $5 million in support through these programmes, providing them with the technological framework they need to scale at a fast pace and reach more customers – including through the use of Microsoft’s own marketplaces. Partnering with NDRC has enabled us to have an impact by fostering the development of the high potential startups we are in a position to help the most, and together we can point to many success stories including Von Bismark.  From our perspective, nurturing partnerships with next generation software companies is critical when it comes to supporting our growing customer base now and into the future.”