Student innovators win at Start With Us incubator awards

Featured in image : Dr Natalie Walsh, IdeasLab; Méabh Conaghan, Enterprise Ireland; Kishor Shirsat, Katie Browne, Tanushree Yadav, John Hyland, Caoimhe Ní Dochartaigh and Reena Babu, 2026 Start With Us winners; Dr Helen McBreen, Atlantic Bridge; Cathy Coote, An Meitheal Rothar; and John Brennan, WestBIC.

University of Galway has celebrated the achievements of student innovators at its newly reimagined Start With Us awards, recognising outstanding commercial and social innovation ideas developed over the past six weeks.

Start With Us incubator awards

A flagship incubator programme, delivered by IdeasLab at University of Galway, Start With Us supports students through two pathways – Start100 for commercial innovation and SoStart for social innovation with 10 student teams developing early-stage ideas into solutions with the potential to make a lasting difference to communities, industries and society.

The Start100 Commercial Innovation Award was presented to Katie Browne from Galway city, for Native Matcha, a matcha-based drink that provides a natural, sustained source of energy as an alternative to traditional caffeinated beverages.

The inaugural So Start Social Innovation Award was presented to Galway local Caoimhe Ní Dhochartaigh, for Catch, a social enterprise supporting adolescent mental health through circus-based programmes that use movement, creativity and community to build confidence, resilience and wellbeing.

The WestBIC One to Watch Award went to DripIQ, founded by Tanushree Yadav and Reena Babu, and Kishor Shirsat, all from India. DripIQ is a smart, low-cost clip-on device that improves IV flow accuracy and detects empty IV bags, helping enhance patient care while reducing workload for healthcare staff.

2026 also saw the addition of an Audience Choice Award which recognised SkillSwap, founded by John Hyland, from Galway city, for its approach to strengthening intergenerational connections by developing a platform for people to connect to share practical skills, knowledge and life experience.

Dr Natalie Walsh, Director of Entrepreneurial Development at University of Galway, said: “Five years ago, we launched our student incubator with a simple ambition, to give students the confidence to explore an idea. Today, we are celebrating much more than winning pitches. We are celebrating a community of student innovators who have gone on to create businesses, social enterprises, jobs and real impact.  The introduction of dedicated commercial and social innovation pathways reflects our belief that innovation creates value in many ways. Whether our students are launching businesses, developing social enterprises or becoming innovators within existing organisations, they are learning how to identify opportunities, work collaboratively and create meaningful change. That is something we are incredibly proud of.”

Start With Us provides students with the opportunity to explore, test and develop ideas through human-centred design, customer discovery, mentoring and real-world engagement. Working alongside industry, community organisations, users and mentors, participants explored ideas through human-centred design, customer discovery and real-world engagement, testing assumptions, refining solutions and developing skills in communication, teamwork, problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking.

Now in its fifth year, the incubator has become an important part of University of Galway’s student innovation programme, supporting students to turn ideas into businesses and social enterprises. Since its launch, the programme has supported 62 student innovators; contributed more than €3 million to the economy; supported the creation of more than 60 jobs. Alumni have gone on to establish companies, develop social enterprises, secure investment, join national accelerator programmes and pursue innovator careers.

The final brought together leaders from across Ireland’s innovation ecosystem, with representatives from Atlantic Bridge, Enterprise Ireland, WestBIC, Fairstone Ireland and An Mheitheal Rothar serving on the judging panel to evaluate the students’ ideas and share their expertise.

Dr Walsh added: “The ideas we’ve seen over the past six weeks demonstrate the creativity and ambition of our students. While some ventures will become businesses and others social enterprises, every participant has developed the confidence and skills to identify opportunities, solve problems and create positive impact. That’s what Start With Us is all about.”

The University also acknowledged the continued support of Rethink Ireland, Ulster Bank, Fairstone and WestBIC, whose support enables students to explore ambitious ideas while building the skills and confidence to bring them forward.

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