Image: Dogpatch Labs
The cohort of Irish and international start-ups will get access to Ireland’s infrastructure and industry experts, as they work on their climate-focused innovations.
The first ever batch of climate-focused start-ups has been selected for Dogpatch Labs’ new sustainability innovation accelerator.
The 2050 Accelerator aims to bring connect Irish and international start-ups with industry experts, to work on a range of pilot projects. These start-ups will get access to components of Ireland’s infrastructure, such as wind farms, dairy farms and forestry.
The overall goal is to turn Ireland into a leading global platform in sustainability innovation, by pushing greater collaboration between start-ups, industry government and academia.
The selected companies are working on various projects around agriculture, carbon dioxide removal, energy, construction and more.
The 2050 Accelerator is a result of a partnership with Kerry Group, ESB and Coillte. It will conclude in a showcase day at Dogpatch Labs to an audience of international VCs, industry stakeholders, partners and the wider sustainability community.
The accelerator’s partners will each support three companies as they work to develop their climate-focused projects, with another three companies supported by the Grantham Foundation.
Here are the 12 start-ups taking part in the Dogpatch 2050 Accelerator:
Kerry Group
EIO Diagnostics
This international start-up has developed an optical sensor to automatically monitor udder health in cows without touching them or their milk. The company’s sensor detects mastitis, which is an inflammatory disease that can affect udder tissue.
Micron Agritech
This TU Dublin spin-out has developed a parasite testing kit for animals that delivers on-site testing and rapid results. The company was founded in 2019 and raised €500,000 in seed funding the following year to develop its product.
In 2021, Micron was one of two winners to share a £135,000 funding prize in a Welsh hackathon focused on the agritech sector. Last year, the company was one of the main winners at Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Arena Awards.
Nerit’e
This German start-up aims to turn dirt into data, with its Sonda 1 device that monitors agricultural soil nutrients in real time. The company also claims this product can be easily integrated into existing agricultural software.
Coillte
CarbonStack
Another German start-up in the cohort is CarbonStack, which uses satellite images to identify damaged forest areas and calculate the carbon uptake of the forest in several climate scenarios to select the best tree species for each location.
The carbon credits resulting from these forestry projects are then sold back to companies.
Hiiker
This former Start-Up of the Week has developed an app to make it easier to plan hikes. The Irish start-up was selected for the first ever NDRC accelerator hosted by Dogpatch Labs in 2021, receiving €100,000 in pre-seed investment.
Last year, the company secured €500,000 from Fuel Ventures, Enterprise Ireland and several private investors, which helped Hiiker map out its future growth plans in the US.
Natural Building Systems
This UK start-up aims to shake up the construction sector through its system called Adept. This system combines low embodied carbon material such as HempSil, a novel hemp insulation that has a net negative embodied carbon, according to the start-up.
Combined with modern methods of construction and digital technologies, Natural Building Systems said its Adept system can be manufactured at scale to be cost-competitive with traditional construction methods.
ESB Group
Aikido Technologies
This renewable energy start-up is developing innovative technologies to support the floating offshore wind industry. The company has developed its own semi-submersible platform and floating-specific wind turbine to reduce costs.
Blade Bridge
This Cork-based start-up reuses windmill blades to create short span bridges and other functional items like outdoor furniture. The company also offers wind farms 100pc recycling or repurposing of their wind blade materials.
Blade Bridge recently graduated from the second phase of this year’s New Frontiers programme hosted by Munster Technological University.
Volvero
Volvero is a vehicle-sharing app that aims to provide easier access to underutilised vehicles and give people more transport possibilities.
The app lets users rent a vehicle, while owners can earn money by posting their own vehicle on the digital rental app.
Grantham Foundation
AgriSound
This UK-based company aims to protect biodiversity by using sensors to automate pollinator monitoring. AgriSound said the data its systems collect can be used to help protect the world’s food supply through precision pollination, while supporting farms and beekeepers.
Crew Carbon
This company partners with wastewater, direct air capture and biomass systems to capture and store carbon dioxide. Crew Carbon claims its sensors provide straightforward measurement of carbon dioxide removal, while its capture process reduces nutrient pollution such as nitrogen in wastewater systems.
Silicate
This Sligo-based company uses returned concrete as a weathering agent to sequester carbon at scale. Silicate was a Start-Up of the Week in January and claims to be the first company to use this method.
In March, Silicate was one of two start-ups to win a US-based start-up challenge focused on climate-tech under the ‘game changer’ category.
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