Eight tech start-ups shortlisted for KPMG Tech Innovator competition

KPMG Ireland today announced eight shortlisted companies for the inaugural Ireland qualifier of the KPMG Global Tech Innovator competition.

The shortlisted companies were selected from almost 50 entries and will pitch their innovations and growth ambitions to an esteemed panel of judges including Fiona Gallagher, CEO of Wells Fargo International Bank UC; Gareth Lambe, Head of Facebook Ireland; Nicola McClafferty, Partner at Draper Esprit; serial entrepreneur Mark Cummins and Managing Partner of KPMG in Ireland, Seamus Hand.

The event will be broadcast live at 12 pm on Friday, 24th September on www.kpmg.ie.

The shortlisted companies, which are from Dublin, Cork, Belfast and Galway, offer solutions in areas including fintech, medtech, regtech and agtech, using technologies in blockchain, IoT, AI and machine learning.

The overall winner in Ireland will progress to the final at Web Summit 2021 in Lisbon in November, where they will compete with the finalists from 17 other countries for the title of KPMG Global Tech Innovator. The prize also includes travel and accommodation to Lisbon, tickets to Web Summit as part of KPMG’s delegation, an exhibition stand for 1 day, and access to exclusive networking events and mentoring opportunities.

The companies shortlisted for the KPMG Tech Innovator competition are:

Akkure Genomics – a fintech powered medical data exchange trading platform where individuals unlock the value of their data to access clinical trials and precision medical services. The platform ‘matchmaking’ aims to increase the recruitment and retention of patients participating in clinical trials, along with access to personalised clinical services.

ApisProtect – brings ground-breaking technology to commercial and hobbyist beekeepers. Headquartered in Cork, capitalising on innovative and award-winning academic research, ApisProtect uses cutting-edge science, engineering, and advanced business processes to bring honey bee-saving technology to every corner of the globe.

CattleEye – a Belfast-founded company harnessing the capabilities of advanced AI in video analytics to deliver the world’s first academically verified autonomous livestock monitoring platform. It provides a completely new way of monitoring and gaining insights on dairy cows simply by walking them under a security camera.

CitySwift – a Galway-based software company that digitises bus networks. The platform uses big data, AI and machine learning to increase network performance, service reliability and passenger satisfaction. Bus operators can instantly visualise metrics which inform efficiency, demand and predict journey times and capacity levels.

Dataships – specialising in automating compliance for data protection and privacy laws. The company has brought a unique software-as-a-service (SaaS) product to market that helps companies build trust with their customers and automate their data protection compliance.

Equal1 – specialising in the design and build of quantum computers that will enable the world to solve problems that cannot be solved today at a fraction of the energy. It has the vision of democratising quantum computing and making it available to everyone. The scalable, cost-effective technology provides a quantum computing path that will impact the trajectory of AI.

ID-Pal – an off-the-shelf, end-to-end KYC solution, which verifies the identity of an individual in real-time across any customer channel.  The ISO 27001 certified SaaS solution ensures best practice AML and GDPR compliance out-of-the-box using a suite of biometric document and database checks.

Wrkit – specialising in the creation of better, healthier working environments using an online suite of data driven employee engagement & retention tools. The platform aims to enhance its customer benefit proposition to improve financial performance and deliver superior employee retention figures.

For more information visit: www.kpmg.ie/GTI.