Stephen O'Dwyer. Image: TrojanTrack
Founded in 2021, this Kildare-based start-up is innovating in the equine industry with AI and analytics.
Stephen O’Dwyer has been a fan of horse racing as long as he can remember. Some of his earliest memories include going to meets with his grandfather when he was just three or four years old.
This passion stayed with him all the way up to his academic pursuits at University College Dublin (UCD), where he studied biomedical engineering. During his undergraduate studies, O’Dwyer worked on pose estimation technology for humans and quickly spotted an opportunity to combine this technology with equine biomechanics.
The result is our Start-up of the Week, TrojanTrack.
TrojanTrack is an Irish start-up that uses advanced AI and pose estimation technology to detect early signs of lameness or imbalance in horses through smartphone video recordings.
“Our mission is to provide trainers and owners with actionable insights to enhance horse welfare and optimise performance – transforming how the equine industry cares for its athletes,” O’Dwyer tells SiliconRepublic.com.
And they’re off
O’Dwyer wasted no time in getting TrojanTrack off the ground. He founded the company straight after graduating from UCD in 2021, and in the same year received the Best Impact on Sport award at the SportX pre-accelerator.
“Since then, I’ve taken TrojanTrack through the New Frontiers programme and the UCD Accelerator programme, laying the groundwork for our ambitious mission,” O’Dwyer says.
Currently, the start-up – which is based at the Irish National Stud in Kildare – is targeting the UK and Irish equine market, focusing on racehorses, showjumpers and sport horses. “With Ireland being a global leader in the industry, it’s the perfect launchpad for our injury analysis tool,” explains O’Dwyer, adding that the company has its sights set on further expansion down the line.
“We plan to scale quickly to key regions like the USA and Australia, addressing the need for advanced biomechanical analysis tools. The opportunity lies in replacing subjective assessments with precise, data-driven solutions for injury prevention, welfare improvement and performance optimisation.”
Setting the pace
O’Dwyer says that TrojanTrack’s ultimate goal is to become the “global standard for equine health and performance analysis”.
“We aim to transform how horses are cared for by providing data-driven tools that improve welfare, prevent injuries and optimise training. Long-term, we envision TrojanTrack being used in every stable, training yard and equine event worldwide, setting new benchmarks for horse welfare and performance.”
As for the tech itself, O’Dwyer gave us a run down of how it works. The start-up’s system uses 4K video and advanced pose estimation technology to track 52 key points on a horse’s body at 60 frames per second.
“These data points are analysed to detect subtle asymmetries and patterns in movement that indicate lameness or imbalance,” he explains.
The company’s injury analysis app compares a horse’s current movement with its historical data, providing trainers with “clear, actionable metrics” to identify potential issues early.
“All data is processed through a secure cloud-based platform, ensuring seamless access for users,” says O’Dwyer. “Beyond injury analysis, we’re developing tools for bloodstock analysis, welfare monitoring for regulatory adoption and insurance data analytics – pushing the boundaries of equine technology.”
A strong lead
When it comes to TrojanTrack’s start-up journey, O’Dwyer describes some of the challenges that the start-up has faced, the biggest of which has been “balancing innovation with practicality”.
“There’s a difficult jump from university work where conditions are ideal, to the real-world where a usable product has to be built for all conditions,” he says. “Building an AI-driven product that works seamlessly in the real-world conditions of a stable or training yard – where connectivity and conditions can vary – has required ingenuity and resilience.
“Fundraising as an early-stage start-up also has its hurdles, but the belief in our mission has helped us overcome those challenges and secure support from incredible investors.”
This belief has certainly paid off, as the company has seen considerable success in terms of funding, including a pre-seed round where TrojanTrack secured €500,000. The start-up’s team has also been growing, with the likes of technical lead Aniket Sawale, chief product officer Allen Corcoran and biomechanical engineer Ellen Curran joining the ranks, and there are plans to grow even further.
As O’Dwyer tells us, the start-up is now preparing to release its initial product to its early-stage adopters, and the team is preparing for its first commercial launch in the UK and Ireland.
“We already have key customers in the pipeline and are seeing strong interest from trainers and welfare organisations,” he says. “Our team is expanding, and we’re gearing up for a €1m seed round to take TrojanTrack to the USA, Australia and beyond.
“The momentum is strong, and we’re just getting started.”
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