Enterprise Ireland today launched the High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Founder of the Year Award for 2026. The overall winner will be announced at an awards ceremony which will take place on Thursday, 15th October 2026 at the Salesforce Tower in Dublin.
This year, 38 High Potential Start-ups were eligible for the award, with the list now narrowed down to five finalists: Breda O’Regan, Lia EyeCare; Mark Birrane, WONDR Jellies; Robert Norton, Kaptea; Seán Kirwan, MedWrite AI; and Leah Fletcher, Dunbar Pharma.
On 15th October, the final winner will be selected by a panel of judges: Heidi Davis, CEO & Founder of Peri, Founder of the Year 2024; Dan Fox, Strategic Advisor of Eudia and Co-founder, Johnson Hana (former CEO), and Donnchadh Cullinan, Divisional Manager for Technology, Services and Consumer, Enterprise Ireland.
The Founder of the Year award forms an important element of the Enterprise Ireland HPSU Founders Forum. Now in its 11th year, the HPSU Founders Forum, which is delivered in partnership with Select Strategies, continues to grow with over 500 founders having participated to date from a variety of sectors including digital technologies, medical devices, fintech, food, engineering and construction. The objective of the Forum is to provide a platform for founders to help founders succeed internationally and scale faster.
Enterprise Ireland Launches Founder Of The Year Award
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