On the 11th of April 2024, Dublin witnessed 15 tech start-ups taking part in one of the biggest demo day events of Dogpatch Labs.

The Dogpatch Labs conference hall was packed with people who wanted to get a glimpse of the founders and to know more about their start-ups. As per the numbers mentioned by the organisers, there were 350 ecosystem players, 30 tech founders, 15 tech start-ups – all under one roof. The who’s who of the Ireland tech community, investors and start-up accelerator programs were all part of this mega event .

NDRC , the start-up accelerator program which runs cohorts of two batches every year, had their line of 6 start-ups for this event. Along side them were the 9 start-ups who represented the first batch of the unique program launched by Dogpatch Labs in the mid of 2023.

NDRC has been supporting people who have an inclination towards entrepreneurship and want to give it a try. The accelerator program run by NDRC is one of the go to places for the upcoming start-up founders. You can read about the NDRC program here.

Dogpatch Labs on the other hand has become the go to launch pad for start-ups in Ireland. They have been upping the ante when it comes to innovative work done around the start-up ecosystem. One such unique program launched by Dogpatch Labs is the Founders program.

The investors, business and tech journalists, start-up founders and those in the ecosystem always look forward to the Demo Day. Usually the demo day, which takes place in Dogpatch Labs situated in Customs Quay Dublin Docklands, witnesses 6-7 start-ups who are part of the NDRC program pitch their offerings to the audience who represent the above ecosystem.

So what was so unique about the 11th April 2024 Demo Day ? It is the first time 6 of the NDRC Start-ups and the 9 start-ups from the first batch of Founders program will be showcasing their offerings together from one platform to the potential stakeholders.

The final 6 start-ups of NDRC accelerator program who pitched at the Demo day:- Blynksolve, Vesta Insights, StoreHero, BareSpace, Nurture and Workstream.

The 9 start-ups who represented the first batch of Founders program:- Gemell , Games Grid, Cocu , Shoden , Nocomed , Inspeq, Tallio, Glitch and Biota.

The event kicked off with Ian Browne, MD, NDRC setting the context of the Demo Day.

Lorraine Curham , Programme Director, NDRC took the role of introducing the start-up founders of NDRC. Lorraine brought amazing energy to the room with her own unique versatile vibrant way of introductions.

Heather Morris, MD, Founders Program explained the idea and thought behind starting a program like Founders.

Jane Dillon, Director , Founders Program, took the role of welcoming the start-ups who are part of the Founders program to pitch their ideas.

Patrick Walsh, MD, Dogpatch Labs thanked all the stakeholders who helped in ensuring the Demo day event has been successful. He also emphasised the work done at the Founders Program, a unique opportunity for people who want to enter the start-up world.

15 amazing tech start-ups showcased their ideas, which after undergoing the respective accelerator programs have taken shape into structured solutions / offerings. The applause , whistles and the surge of cheers from the audience before and after each pitch along with claps for announcements of funds raised, customers acquired, etc showed the excitement, wishes of everyone , who attended the event , to see these start-ups to become successful . Each of the founders were seen walking down the stage with a big confident smile.

Artificial intelligence was a mainstay in most of the pitches. The start-ups are looking at augmenting the use of tech in varied sectors including Pharma, salons, teaching, workflows, mortgages, EdTech, digital textile, biodiversity, brand integration using games, market research, sales, bringing together marketing and finance, management of advertisements, mitigating risks in AI, etc.

15% of the founders are women , which shows the important role of women in tech in Ireland.

The Dublin Docklands was buzzing with people who are supporting the founders in the way of mentoring, funding, nurturing, or by just being there to cheer them to give the much required confidence while taking the path of start-ups. The event also had a free childcare facility , courtesy former NDRC cohort member, by öogo.

Ireland is really doing a great work to provide a launch pad for start-ups. The regional hubs, accelerator programs, organisations like Portershed, Republic of Work, RDI Hub, Ignite , Awaken Hub, Scale Ireland are all ensuring that the support system is ready for people who want to enter the start-up scene. This is in addition to the fantastic work done by Dogpatch Labs, NDRC.

The best part of the start-up ‘world’ in Ireland is that it is still in its nascent stage. Yes, there are already players who have become unicorns from Ireland. However, looking at the potential and the work happening at various hubs, accelerator programs , this is just the beginning. The global investors would definitely take note of this and there are already investors who have tapped early into this potential start-ups.

In addition to this, the ecosystem plays a pivotal role in ensuring there is support and advice shared with the peers irrespective of the stature of work / start-up. Most of the people know each other and once you attend 4-5 start-up events , there are high chances that you would meet similar faces in the upcoming events.

Congratulations to the founders , start-ups , NDRC, Dogpatch Labs and to each one who turned up to support this superb event, without whom this would not be such a phenomenal success.

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Images used from respective websites of NDRC, Dogpatch Labs.