Belfast companies through to Seedcorn Regional Final

Twenty-five companies in total from across the island will compete across four regional heats, starting in early November.

The Belfast finalists will battle it out at the Northern Ireland Regional Final on November 11. Each business will deliver an investment pitch remotely to an expert judging panel comprising of venture capitalists, business angels and some of the island’s leading business leaders.

In the ‘New Start’ category, eXRt Intelligent Healthcare, creator of a virtual reality stroke physiotherapy system will compete againt GenoME Diagnostics, developer of a novel blood test for the earlier diagnosis of ovarian cancer and VascVersa Ltd, a new Regenerative Medicine company making Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products for ischaemic diseases.

In the ‘Early Stage’ category, Mortgage Propeller, creator of a new platform that automates the manual compliance processes that plague day-to-day life for mortgage advisors and their support staff will compete against Sonrai Analytics, a data analytics platform designed to expedite the process of healthcare organisations bringing new treatments to market and SonoTarg Ltd, developer of a new targeted therapy for treatment of solid cancer tumours which claims to be more effective than conventional chemotherapy and less toxic.

Connor Sweeney, Seedcorn Programme Manager at InterTradeIreland, said: “To get to a regional final, companies have already been shortlisted based upon their business plan submission and visual representation of their ideas, so I’m delighted to offer my congratulations to all those who have reached this crucial stage. This year the regional finals will be held remotely for the first time in Seedcorn’s history. We were determined to continue with the competition if we could find a safe way of doing so and thankfully, technology has presented the opportunity. We are thrilled to be able to run the next two stages remotely; as Seedcorn is centred around showcasing business innovation we think it’s a relevant approach.”

The Seedcorn contest mirrors the real-life investment process. As well as a substantial cash prize fund, participants can secure expert feedback on their business plans and pitches, improve their investor readiness and gain exposure to investors, all while boosting their firm’s profile.

In advance of the regional finals, companies will receive an intensive one-day investment pitch masterclass facilitated by InterTradeIreland, to help polish their presentation skills. The competition can be followed on Twitter (@Inter_Trade) and on the website www.intertradeireland.com/seedcorn.

Visit Seedcorn website at www.intertradeireland.com/seedcorn.

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