Business

Local technology firms pitch to industry investors

The founders from the teams on the 2018 Ignite NI Accelerator programme with Invest NI’s Tracey Meharg, executive director of business solutions (centre), and Ignite’s CEO Tristan Watson (right).
The founders from the teams on the 2018 Ignite NI Accelerator programme with Invest NI’s Tracey Meharg, executive director of business solutions (centre), and Ignite’s CEO Tristan Watson (right). The founders from the teams on the 2018 Ignite NI Accelerator programme with Invest NI’s Tracey Meharg, executive director of business solutions (centre), and Ignite’s CEO Tristan Watson (right).

TEN innovative technology companies have been given the chance to pitch their business plans to an audience of the north's top start-up investors.

The Ignite NI Accelerator hosted its first ever showcase, bringing some of the brightest tech prospects to the attention of Northern Irish business leaders, stakeholders and investors.

The showcase, held in Ormeau Baths, marks the end of the intensive 12-week accelerator programme, which is designed to help established early stage technology companies to grow their business and develop them to a point where they are equipped to go and raise further investment of between £250,000 and £2.5m.

The ten companies each had the opportunity to deliver a four minute pitch about their business to the assembled audience. Ahead of the showcase, the Ignite NI Accelerator teams also delivered their pitch to investors in London and Dublin.

Launched in 2011, Ignite’s support has helped over 120 companies to raise more than £30m in private investment across the UK and Europe.

Tristan Watson, CEO of Ignite said: “It has been a fantastic first programme for the Ignite NI Accelerator. We have loved working alongside this group of talented tech founders in Belfast to help them refine their business models and hopefully put them in a better position to attract investment and scale up their startups into thriving, sustainable companies. The showcase was a great chance for the Ignite NI teams to demonstrate all they’ve learnt and for the audience to see some of the exciting new businesses who might one day be household names.”

Chris Acheson, CEO at spare parts platform CADshare added: “We were able to attract £500k of private investment during the Ignite NI programme and we’re now recruiting more staff as the company continues to grow. The showcase was a vital opportunity to build on that momentum and drive further growth for the future.”