Fourteen new ventures in the digital space will be starting a 12-week programme at the NDRC this week, as part of its Launchpad accelerator programme. The new start-ups range from a social gaming platform to an online fashion channel and a crowdsourcing tool for artists.
According to the NDRC, the 14 start-ups were whittled down from 100 applicants. This week, they will start the programme at the NDRC, where they will receive mentoring and up to €20,000 in micro-seed funding.
At the end of their three-month stint, the start-ups will then pitch for follow-on investment from venture capitalists and private investors.
Launchpad’s director Gary Leyden said the programme offers a structured approach and support to entrepreneurs.
“We help them refine their product offering, research and identify their target markets, check their commercial and business projections and answer the requirements of the investment community,” he said.
New digital ventures
The 14 start-ups include Onn.ie, an online fashion portal and e-commerce site; and Propertygate, an online collaboration tool for stakeholders in the property industry.
GigStarter is a new crowdsourcing tool to connect artists with their potential fan base, while ParkYa is a mobile app platform that’s aiming to provide virtual signposting of parking availability with intuitive payment methods.
StockStream provides information for the financial and investment community by filtering data streams for traders and investors. Gotcha Ninjas is a cloud-based social gaming platform targeted at helping teachers to encourage positive behaviour amongst students in the classroom.
3Funnel is an analytics application targeted at those in the marketing field or those who analyse consumer behaviour, while Civiq is aiming to help organisations negotiate conflict and support problem-solving.
Eventmama is an online marketplace for party planners to search for and book entertainers for children’s events, while Cityhook is a web and smartphone app service to help people find the best transfers between airports and cities.
Fair and Square describes itself as a ‘spreadsheet for break-ups’. The web-based program divides goods up between people. Shotclip is cloud-based video production software that allows people to create videos and share them on social networks.
Notes.ie is an educational website for students that focuses on three areas: content, platform and experience.
SchoolPay is aiming to create a cashless society in schools. The platform allows schools to collect payments via SMS and web and smartphone interfaces.
To date, more than 100 ventures have already completed the Launchpad programme, including LogEntries, which provides log management services in the cloud. The company raised US$1.1m from Polaris Ventures last year.
Another company that emerged from Launchpad in 2011 was Boxever, a cloud-based platform to allow airlines and travel companies to gather and analyse customer data in real-time. Boxever raised more than €800,000 last year from a syndicate of investors.
