UrAbility has won the best business award in the annual Ignite awards. The UCC programme nurtures startups from ideas to commercial reality.

UrAbility, founded by James Northridge, is reinventing the way parents and educators support children with disabilities, enhancing the learning experience with an online training and support model.

Its platform uses algorithms to auto assign online courses and advise on assistive technologies based on users’ technical abilities, spoken language, and location. Northridge was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was in school and went on to secure a Masters in university.

Best business plan winner Traxsit, founded by Conor Walsh and Luke O’Mahony, has developed GPS technology for theft prevention and asset monitoring on farms. O’Mahony said the Ignite programme equipped the founders with the skills and resources to validate their business idea.

“Among the many benefits, Ignite provides you with access to mentorship, access to a network of alumni and industry experts, and access to a shared working space of fellow founders,” he said.

In Association with

Finalist Ali-Rose Sisk, a graduate of UCC, is developing software for care home management. She is currently working as a nurse in a care home in Cork.

Photo: James Northridge and Ali-Rose Sisk. (Pic: Darragh Kane)