Doctrine Skincare named Most Investible Company while cybersecurity firm Ailtire secures Best Pitch award at Cork investor event.
Entrepreneurs from across the south of Ireland pitched for a combined €9.5 million at this year’s AxisBIC Venture Academy investor showcase, highlighting continued momentum in early-stage funding for high-growth start-ups.
The annual event, held at the River Lee Hotel in Cork, brought together investors, founders and members of the wider start-up ecosystem. The funding target marked a significant rise on the previous year and adds to more than €37 million raised by participating companies since the programme began 16 years ago.
The companies presenting on the day spanned a range of sectors, including skincare, health technology, sports technology and cybersecurity. All had taken part in a preparatory mini-accelerator delivered by AxisBIC, which included investment masterclasses and one-to-one mentoring with experienced entrepreneurs and investors, focused on building strong funding propositions and pitch delivery.
Investible businesses
Doctrine Skincare was named Most Investible Company by a judging panel, while the audience vote for Best Pitch went to Ailtire, a Cork-based cybersecurity firm.
Doctrine Skincare was founded by cosmetic chemist Tracey Ryan alongside a team of industry specialists. The company positions itself as a science-led Irish skincare brand, with all products formulated in-house using active ingredients at evidence-based levels. Speaking after the awards, Ryan said the recognition came at an important moment for the business.
“I’m delighted but in shock. We have been thinking of raising investment for the last six months to a year and now we’re finally ready to get out in front of people. To win here at the AxisBIC Venture Academy is a real confidence boost, a pat on the back to say we’re going in the right direction.”
She added that AxisBIC’s support had been instrumental in preparing the company for growth.
“I’ve had amazing support from AxisBIC, particularly in applying for Pre-Seed Funding from Enterprise Ireland which has really set us on our way.”
Ailtire, led by CEO and co-founder Colm McSweeney, focuses on helping organisations identify security risks early in the process of building or updating digital systems. Its platform is aimed at teams dealing with complex and fast-changing technology environments.
McSweeney described the Best Pitch award as a reflection of the collective effort behind the company.
“It’s a bit surreal to have won Best Pitch but I’m really proud of the team and appreciative of the support we’ve received from AxisBIC. We wouldn’t have won it without the honest and direct feedback from the mentors at AxisBIC.”
AxisBIC CEO Larry O’Donoghue said the scale of funding sought this year was an encouraging signal for the regional start-up scene.
This year’s pitching event saw a 66% increase in the money being raised when compared to last year which indicates a strong desire to support and invest in start-ups.
“There has also been a significant increase in technology companies, making a valuable impact on people’s lives. We want to encourage anyone with a start-up to get in touch with the team at AxisBIC who can support you on the next steps to growth and success,” O’Donoghue said.
The Venture Academy forms part of AxisBIC’s wider Growth Pathway Programme, delivered in partnership with Cork City Council and Cork County Council. AxisBIC works with innovative entrepreneurs across Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick, providing business development support designed to help ambitious companies scale and succeed.
Pitching businesses
The other pitching companies were:
Colata (Cork): an AI-powered SaaS platform that helps sports organisations bring together and use data from different systems like performance, medical, and fan engagement tools. It makes it easier for teams to turn scattered data into useful insights.
CommPAL (Cork): helps community palliative care teams plan and prioritise patient visits more effectively. It uses data and analytics to predict needs and optimise schedules and travel routes.
Kinematic Tracing Systems (KTS) (Clare): develops clinical tools that make injury and musculoskeletal assessments faster and more objective. Its technology enables quicker, more efficient evaluations with results delivered in minutes.
SeeGap (Limerick): a platform that helps consumer brands drive sales, build loyalty, and capture insights from their retail customers using intelligent AI experiences. It bridges the gap between brands and shoppers, especially in physical stores where most purchases happen.
The MenoPal (Dublin): the central intelligence platform for menopause health data. Women’s hormone health remains one of healthcare’s largest unstructured data gaps, fragmented across apps, clinics and wearables and no unified system connecting the ecosystem.
Top image: Kevin Curran, Head of Enterprise, LEO Cork North & West; Fionnuala Wall, AxisBIC; Tracey Ryan, Doctrine Skincare; Colm Sweeney, Ailtire; Dr Niall O’Keeffe, Head of Enterprise, Cork City Council. Photo: John Allen
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