The Matchday team are ready for Launchbox: Back row: Ian O’Riordan; seated L-R: Dylan Scully Jonathan Deane and Jack Boyle of Trinity LaunchBox team Matchday
Trinity College Dublin has launched the next phase of its LaunchBox accelerator with 14 new start-ups that solve a range of business and societal problems.
Trinity students and graduates are offered year-round support for their entrepreneurial ideas and business ventures through LaunchBox and Blackstone LaunchPad at Trinity.
Past LaunchBox successes include social enterprise Foodcloud, which helps businesses redistribute surplus food to those who need it and which has made it to the final of this year’s Virgin Media Voom competition; Touchtech, a payment processing venture; and Artomatix, which develops tools for automating digital media creation.
Among this year’s crop of LaunchBox start-ups are start-ups focused on problems, such as helping refugees affected by the Syrian crisis, and feeding the world’s population, which is projected to be 9.8bn by 2050.
In all, 13 teams will this summer benefit from office space, funding and mentorship to deliver investor-ready ventures by the end of the summer.
“Trinity College Dublin is committed to empowering our students to become leaders in business, technology, and social enterprise,” said LaunchBox’s programme manager, Alison Treacy.
“Through projects like LaunchBox we offer our students the chance to innovate and excel in a supportive start-up environment.”
Bank of Ireland has also come on board as a sponsor of the LaunchBox programme.
“Bank of Ireland and Trinity College have a long legacy of working together and we are delighted to support the 2016 LaunchBox programme,” said David Tighe, head of innovation at Bank of Ireland.
“Bank of Ireland supports entrepreneurs extensively across Ireland through a number of initiatives and our sponsorship of LaunchBox will help the next generation of talented professionals to start and succeed in their businesses.”
1. Costello Keegan Designs
Taking advantage of the ‘golden age of board games’, Costello Keegan Design’s first project, Volatile, is a game that meshes collaborative and competitive gameplay in an intricate and engaging format that leads to an enjoyable experience for all.
2. Better Examinations
Better Examinations is the quickest and easiest way for students and teachers to access past exam material. Better Examinations enables users to search and save exam papers in a matter of seconds.
3. Hamal
Hamal is developing biodegradable backpacks. Founded by two engineering students, one of whom is intimately familiar with the supermarket sector.
4.iDly
iDly is a software as a service (SaaS) company offering digital identification services to universities and institutions in Ireland. Founded by mechanical engineering student and former student union officer Finn Murphy, iDly was formed in order to develop, improve and commercialise the highly-successful Trinity Digital Student ID.
5. Neurobranch
Neurobranch is a cross-platform, cloud-based, bio-research study platform designed for the small-to-medium-sized bio/pharma institutions and academic use. The platform allows researchers unparalleled flexibility in data acquisition, qualification, and quantification retrieved from research candidates, as well as increasing retention rates of study candidates.
6. SmallFarms
Crickets provide us with an alternative source of protein that is more sustainable than current common sources such as beef and soy. With the world’s population expected to reach up to 9.8bn people by 2050, SmallFarms aims to explore the viability of farming crickets for this purpose.
7. Matchday
Matchday is a daily fantasy soccer game where users select a fantasy team within a given budget and can compete in private leagues with their friends or in public leagues for the chance to win cash prizes. Points are assigned on the real-life performance of the players that match day. Matchday’s goal is to make watching much more exciting for users.
8. Surfbuoy
Surfbuoy is an innovative water safety device aimed at individuals partaking in watersports. It is easier and more comfortable to wear and use than lifejackets and buoyancy aids. The device is discreet and comfortable, and buoyant only when activated.
9. Nu
NU is an innovative ethical fashion community aiming to reinvent the way we shop. Nu runs creative and innovative events in Dublin with a focus on raising awareness of the harm caused by fast fashion, while providing a fun, stylish and affordable alternative.
10. Good Gaming Leagues
Good Gaming Leagues offers a tournament organisation and management platform for competitive online gaming. Gamers can compete in tournaments and leagues against each other for cash prizes. Good Gaming Leagues currently caters for the top games in the e-sports industry.
11. Fallsafe
Founded by Computer Science and Business student David Cohalan, and Industrial Engineering student Emanuele Ferrari, FallSafe was created to improve the way in which the elderly can call for help and reduce the €400m economic costs related to falls in Ireland.
12. HaySaver
HaySaver is a smart agriculture solution for the prevention of spontaneous hay bale combustion. HaySaver provides warning and early detction of possible fires within a hay bale.
13. CriServee
CriServ is a social enterprise, which aims to assist refugees in transit through Europe by providing a line of communication to charities on the ground. Its mission is to provide NGOs with enhanced logistical support and beneficial feedback from the recipients of aid, in particular those affected by the Syrian refugee crisis.
14.BringItWithU
BringItWithU is a crowd-sourced importing business that works with travellers and asks simply that they bring an item missing with them when they travel or return to an area.
