Led · Equity · May 2025

The Corporate Governance Institute is a Dublin-based provider of online governance education and certification for boardroom directors and business leaders. It offers a portfolio of diplomas, certificates, and short-form courses delivered through a practitioner-led approach and supported by university accreditation. In recent years it expanded offerings to include high-demand topics such as ESG, artificial intelligence, and digital governance, and it hosts the world’s largest curated library of governance-related education. Led by CEO Ciaran Bollard, the organisation combines practitioner expertise with accredited academic support. The company plans to use new funding to further develop its course portfolio and continue expanding into international markets. In May 2025 it raised €3M in funding.

Led · Equity · Jan 2025

Advise offers a SaaS platform that integrates and analyzes sales, inventory, and customer data to help FMCG manufacturers optimize pricing strategies. The technology is positioned to help manufacturers negotiate more effectively in a market focused on consumer affordability. The company was founded in 2016 by Dr. Kevin McCarthy and John Phelan and counts Pilgrims Europe, Dr Oetker (Ireland), and Britvic among its clients. Advise will use the €1.55M funding to enhance its platform and expand its reach in the FMCG sector. It plans to double headcount to about 30 employees over the next 12–18 months, prioritizing engineering, data science, and commercial roles across Ireland, the UK and the US.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2024

OOHPod operates a network of self-service parcel lockers and a digital kiosk platform that can accept parcels regardless of delivery provider. The company was launched in 2022 by John Tuohy after the sale of his Nightline courier business and ParcelMotel locker arm. OOHPod currently operates over 100 lockers and is developing a pipeline of hundreds more, with many planned sites at retailers such as Lidl and Tesco. The company employs 12 people and expects to add 10 new roles across IT development, marketing, and operations. Funding will be used to expand the locker network across Ireland and Northern Ireland, launch in Britain, and further develop the digital advertising offering on the kiosks. OOHPod recorded a net loss of €1.6m in 2022 and had prior equity injections of €3.2m in December 2022 and a €600,000 top-up in April 2023.

Led · Seed · Nov 2023

Positive Carbon builds a high-tech, fully automated system that uses sensors to track, trace and eliminate food waste in commercial kitchens. Its platform includes reporting dashboards for kitchen staff, operations teams, and management to review daily, weekly and monthly waste reports. Founded by Aisling and Mark Kirwan in 2020 and based in Dublin, the company’s technology is already deployed at customers including the Dalata Hotel Group and Radisson Blu. The company recently raised €2.3m in seed funding to support growth. The new funding will be used to boost research and development, support marketing and expand the business across the UK and the EU. Management emphasizes the technology’s dual commercial and environmental impact on customer margins and sustainability.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2023

PlasmaBound develops Controlled Polymer Ablation (CPA), a bonding technology for lightweight composite materials that enables high-speed, low-cost bonding of ultra-lightweight materials. The company aims to make lightweight materials affordable for low- to mid-range vehicles to reduce CO2 emissions and extend EV range for mass-market applications. It is a University College Dublin (UCD) spin-out headquartered at NovaUCD and was co-founded in 2017 by Dr James Nicholas Barry, Alan Barry and Xavier Montibert. PlasmaBound intends to use the funding to accelerate growth, expand operations and broaden its business reach. The company was also selected as one of five start-ups to win access to the Hyundai Motor Company and KIA Corporation sponsored 2022 Accelerate the Future Challenge. PlasmaBound develops Controlled Polymer Ablation (CPA) technology for high-speed bonding of ultra-lightweight fibre-reinforced materials. The process is positioned to take on a role similar to welding in metals, aiming to reduce operational cycle times, decrease manufacturing waste streams and extend shelf-life. The technology is deployed via a SaaS model with term-based licensing. The company intends to use the newly raised €2.35M to expand operations and accelerate development efforts. PlasmaBound is a University College Dublin spin-out co-founded in 2017 by Dr James Nicholas Barry, Alan Barry and Xavier Montibert and is based in Dublin, Ireland. The funding is intended to accelerate adoption of sustainable lightweight materials across vehicles, devices and structures globally without added complexity, cost or waste. PlasmaBound has developed a patented technology called controlled polymer ablation (CPA) that enables manufacturers to reduce product weight and meet fuel efficiency and carbon emissions requirements. The technology targets automotive, aerospace/space and wind turbine industries and is designed to achieve lightweighting goals with fully automated workstreams. The company was co-founded in 2017 as a spin-out from University College Dublin’s College of Engineering and Architecture and is headquartered at NovaUCD. PlasmaBound completed Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Funding and is designated an Enterprise Ireland High-Potential Start-Up. It closed a €1.1m funding round in June 2020, indicating early-stage external financing activity.