IGNITE Spring Awards and Showcase 2026

17 Apr 2026

Technology to improve how schools operate incident management and alerts, an AI-powered system to speed up Clinical Trial Agreements and a platform to help people overcome challenges in their relationships were among the start-ups highlighted at this year’s IGNITE Spring Showcase and Awards.

IGNITE is based at UCC and is open to anyone who has graduated from any third level institution in recent years and has the passion and ambition to work on an idea that has the potential for economic, environmental or social impact.

The annual awards offer start-ups a chance to talk about their start-up in front of a live audience of local businesses and investors. A total of 14 start-ups, who are at different stages of the programme, pitched their idea to the gathering while six of these were finalists in the awards section of the evening.

A panel of judges decided on the winners for three awards and these were:

Best Pitch: Dr. Eliana da Silva Monteiro from Love Better

• Love Better is a relationship help platform that allows people to explain challenges in their relationships and receive support in working through them.

Best Business Plan: Ruth Hendrick from Target Alert Group (TAG)

• Ruth Hendrick is developing TAG (Target Alert Group), a system for schools designed to support incident management, alerts, and safeguarding-related processes.

Best Business: David Hall from Carbery CogniMed

• David Hall is developing Carbery CogniMed, a solution aimed at accelerating clinical trial agreements by improving data flow, reducing administrative bottlenecks, and speeding up access to treatments.

IGNITE has supported nearly 250 founders since it was established in 2011. The programme is a joint initiative by Cork City Council, Cork County Council, the Local Enterprise Offices of Cork City, South Cork and North and West Cork and University College Cork.

Eamon Curtin, Director of IGNITE, said: "We at IGNITE are proud to work with these talented people who have come up with really innovative ideas that can be developed into a business with the potential to deliver real social and economic value. At IGNITE, we help them to transform their idea into a business by going through each of the steps including pitching to investors. None of this would be possible without the backing of the Local Enterprise Offices, Cork County Council, Cork City Council and Bank of Ireland, and I would like to thank them for their continued support."

The other finalists on the night were:

Peter David Fagan – Corca Health

Corca Health is developing an AI-powered clinical intake system for mental health and neurodevelopmental assessment, triage and screening. The platform is designed to improve efficiency across assessment pathways and help reduce growing waiting lists in Ireland and the UK. Corca Health secured over €500,000 in pre-seed funding in 2025 to support product development, with additional funding planned for 2026.

Zuhri Ajibola – Skincare Product

Zuhri Ajibola is developing a natural skincare brand focused on creating products for different skin types, including dry, oily, and sensitive skin. The products are designed to be free from harsh chemicals, making them particularly suitable for people with skin conditions such as eczema, while offering a more natural alternative to conventional skincare products.

Sam O’Neill & Will Gunnarsson – Roteq

Sam O’Neill and Will Gunnarsson are developing Roteq, a performance technology platform for rowers designed to track movement and provide feedback to help improve performance.