Stephen Slattery of Zeto Technology Solutions, one of the six start-ups in DCU Ryan's Academy's 2012 Propellor accelerator
Six tech start-ups engaged in DCU Ryan Academy’s Propellor accelerator are preparing to pitch to a panel of Irish and global angel investors and venture capital firms on Friday.
The start-ups are finishing up a three-month, mentor-led programme at DCU Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship.
The programme, which has been running since 2011, culminates with a Demo Day, where start-ups get a chance to make their business case to angel investors and venture capitalists in order to secure investments to take their ventures to the next stage.
Making a pitch
The start-ups that will be pitching on Friday at DCU Ryan Academy will include Picturk, a platform for hosting digital photography competitions.
Seoige Technology, meanwhile, is a software development company that specialises in virtual games such as Savvybear.com, a computer game for children under 12.
Style Cloud is a virtual wardrobe and style-sharing social network, while SwiftQueue is a provider of self-service appointments for healthcare facilities.
VideoElephant is an online B2B video marketplace for buying and selling video content, while Zeto Technology Solutions is designing technology solutions for the refrigeration industry.
Propellor accelerator
As part of the accelerator, the six new ventures have gleaned free office space, as well as a €30,000 cash investment from the Ryan Academy. This is in return for a 6.5pc equity stake.
Propeller itself was set up by the Ryan Academy in 2010 with funding of €1m from Irelandia Investments. Its aim is to accelerate early stage tech start-ups, both from Ireland and further afield.
The accelerator particularly focuses on software, web applications, informatics and clean-tech start-ups.
Propeller has also awarded seventh best accelerator in Europe in a study commissioned by the Kauffman Foundation Fellows and conducted by the US-based seed and start-up venture capital firm DFJ Mercury.
