Gemell Technology was declared the first finalist and Ecoroots, the second finalist.
Dublin-headquartered HaPPE Earth has won the inaugural All-Island Circular Venture Awards – a competition recognising late-stage start-ups across the island of Ireland that demonstrate circular value propositions.
The contest looks for innovations that contribute to Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon, regenerative economy.
HaPPE Earth is a developer of bio-based materials, on-site bio-digestion and smart ESG data tools that helps hospitals, food and the pharmaceutical sectors eliminate plastic waste and emissions.
Earlier this year, the start-up was one of the winners of the first-ever ‘Green-tech in healthcare’ contest organised by Health Innovation Hub Ireland, the HSE and the Irish College of General Practitioners.
“The winner of the inaugural All-Island Circular Venture Awards embodies circular innovation, circular excellence, execution strength, commercial viability and system-level impact,” commented Dr Geraldine Brennan, the director of circular economy innovation at Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR).
Gemell Technology, an alumnus of the Dogpatch Labs’ Founders accelerator, was declared as the first finalist, and Ecoroots, a start-up which utilises mushrooms to replace plastic packaging, received the second finalist award.
The ten finalists, which also include Arcology System, Biographene Innovations Ireland, BladeBridge, Circular Food Co, Harp Renewables, Integrated Materials Solutions and Kinset, all pitched to an audience of investors, industry leaders, policymakers and the media for a prize pool of €10,000.
“Our second ‘Whole of Government Circular Economy Strategy’ emphasises mainstreaming circular business models, supporting the scale-up of reuse, repair and remanufacturing, and encouraging sharing economies,” commented Minister of State for Small Business and Retail and Circular Economy Alan Dillon, TD.
“By investing in innovation and infrastructure, Ireland aims to reduce resource loss, support job creation and embed circularity across sectors.”
IMR chief technology officer Micheal Cassidy said, “Today IMR celebrates these pioneers and as a strategic delivery partner to the Government, we are committed to driving industrial-oriented circular innovation with many more companies like these over the coming years.”
The All-Island Circular Venture Awards is led by Circuléire and funded by the Irish Government.
Launched in 2020, Circuléire is run by IMR and funded by the Irish Government. It is a public-private network that aims to demystify and drive circular business innovation in Ireland with more than 50 cross-sector members.
IMR is a not-for-profit research and technology organisation founded in 2014. It partners with industry to bridge the gap between technology and business, ensuring companies can harness the latest advancements to drive efficiency, productivity and sustainability.
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