KPMG has announced the eight tech companies that will pitch to win the consultancy’s Global Tech Innovator qualifier on September 24, with the winner going to the final at Web Summit 2021 in Lisbon in November.
The shortlisted companies offer solutions in areas including fintech, medtech, regtech — the management of regulatory processes within the financial industry — and agtech, using technologies in blockchain, IoT, AI and machine learning.
The finalists were selected from almost 50 entries and will pitch their innovations and growth ambitions to a panel of judges including Fiona Gallagher, chief executive of Wells Fargo International Bank; Gareth Lambe, head of Facebook Ireland; Nicola McClafferty, partner at Draper Esprit; serial entrepreneur Mark Cummins; and KPMG Ireland managing partner Seamus Hand.
The eight finalists are:
Akkure Genomics: a fintech-powered medical data exchange trading platform, where individuals unlock the value of their data to access clinical trials and precision medical services. The platform ‘matchmaking’ aims to increase the recruitment and retention of patients participating in clinical trials, along with access to personalised clinical services.
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ApisProtect: brings ground-breaking technology to commercial and hobbyist beekeepers. Capitalising on innovative and award-winning academic research, ApisProtect uses science, engineering, and business processes to bring honey bee-saving technology to every corner of the globe.
CattleEye: a Belfast-founded company harnessing the capabilities of advanced AI in video analytics to deliver the world’s first academically verified autonomous livestock monitoring platform. It provides a completely new way of monitoring and gaining insights on dairy cows — simply by walking them under a security camera.
CitySwift: a Galway-based software company that digitises bus networks. The platform uses big data, AI and machine learning to increase network performance, service reliability and passenger satisfaction. Bus operators can see metrics which inform efficiency, and predict journey times and capacity levels.
Dataships: specialising in automating compliance for data protection and privacy laws. The company has brought a software-as-a-service (SaaS) product to market that helps companies build trust with their customers and automate their data protection compliance.
Equal1: specialising in the design and build of quantum computers that will enable the world to solve problems that cannot be solved today at a fraction of the energy. It has the vision of democratising quantum computing and making it available to everyone.
ID-Pal: an off-the-shelf, end-to-end KYC solution, which verifies the identity of an individual in real-time across any customer channel. The ISO 27001 certified SaaS solution ensures best practice AML and GDPR compliance using a suite of biometric document and database checks.
Wrkit: specialising in the creation of better, healthier working environments using online of data-driven employee engagement and retention tools.
Apart from competing in the Lisbon finals, the winner of the Irish round will also receive travel to and accommodation in Lisbon, tickets to Web Summit as part of KPMG’s delegation, an exhibition stand for one day, and access to networking events and mentoring opportunities.
The pitch event will be webcast live by KPMG at noon on Friday 24 September, and registration is here.
Photo: Wrkit's Peter Jenkinson (left) with James Allen of Google. (Pic: Photo Chris Bellew /Fennell Photography
