Carbery CogniMed takes top honour as entrepreneurs showcase ventures with social and economic impact.
Innovative start-ups tackling challenges in healthcare, education and personal wellbeing were recognised at University College Cork’s IGNITE Spring Showcase and Awards 2026, where Carbery CogniMed was named Best Business of the year.
The awards, held before an audience of local business leaders, investors and supporters of entrepreneurship, highlighted emerging ventures working to improve clinical trial processes, strengthen school incident management systems and help people navigate difficulties in their relationships.
“We at IGNITE are proud to work with these talented people who have come up with really innovative ideas that can be developed into a business with the potential to deliver real social and economic value”
IGNITE, which is based at UCC, supports early-stage founders and is open to graduates from any third level institution who want to develop ideas with strong economic, environmental or social potential. Since launching in 2011, the programme has supported close to 250 founders across a wide range of sectors.
Fourteen start-ups at different stages of development pitched on the night, with six selected as finalists for the awards. A panel of judges selected winners across three categories: Best Business, Best Pitch and Best Business Plan.
Healthcare innovation leads the way
The top award for Best Business went to Carbery CogniMed, founded by David Hall. The company is developing a solution designed to accelerate clinical trials by improving the flow of data, reducing administrative bottlenecks and helping bring new treatments to patients more quickly.
Carbery CogniMed’s approach aims to address long-standing inefficiencies in the clinical trials process, an area under increasing pressure as research volumes grow and timelines become more complex.
In the Best Pitch category, judges selected Love Better, developed by Dr Eliana da Silva Monteiro. The platform provides relationship support by allowing users to explain challenges they are experiencing and receive structured guidance to help them work through those issues.
Love Better focuses on making evidence-based relationship support more accessible, particularly for people who may not otherwise seek formal counselling or therapy.
The award for Best Business Plan went to Target Alert Group, known as TAG, founded by Ruth Hendrick. The company is developing a system for schools that supports incident management and alerts, helping staff respond more quickly and effectively when issues arise. The platform also assists schools in tracking staff training, medications and expiry dates, adding an operational layer that principals and administrators can monitor in real time.
Strong field of finalists
The remaining finalists on the night reflected the breadth of innovation emerging from the IGNITE programme.
Peter David Fagan of Corca Health is developing an AI-powered clinical intake system to support mental health and neurodevelopmental assessment, triage and screening. The platform is designed to improve efficiency across assessment pathways and help reduce waiting lists in Ireland and the UK.
Zuhri Ajibola presented Zuhri, a natural skincare brand focused on products for dry, oily and sensitive skin. The range is being developed without harsh chemicals and is aimed particularly at people managing conditions such as eczema, while offering a natural alternative to conventional skincare.
Sam O’Neill and Will Gunnarsson are founders of Roteq, a performance technology platform designed to support performance tracking and optimisation across a range of use cases.
Building sustainable businesses
Speaking after the awards, Eamon Curtin, Director of IGNITE, said the programme’s focus is on helping founders turn ideas into sustainable businesses.
“We at IGNITE are proud to work with these talented people who have come up with really innovative ideas that can be developed into a business with the potential to deliver real social and economic value.
“At IGNITE, we help them to transform their idea into a business by going through each of the steps including pitching to investors. None of this would be possible without the backing of the Local Enterprise Offices, Cork County Council, Cork City Council and Bank of Ireland, and I would like to thank them for their continued support.”
IGNITE is delivered as a joint initiative by University College Cork, Cork City Council, Cork County Council and the Local Enterprise Offices of Cork City, South Cork and North and West Cork.
The programme continues to play a central role in nurturing early-stage entrepreneurship in the region, with this year’s showcase offering another snapshot of the ambition and creativity coming through Ireland’s start-up ecosystem.
Top image: David Hall of Carbery CogniMed won Best Business at the UCC IGNITE Spring Showcase and Awards 2026, Ruth Hendrick of Target Alert Group (TAG) won Best Business Plan, and Dr. Eliana da Silva Monteiro of Love Better won Best Pitch. Photo: Darragh Kane
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