Finalists for the prestigious EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme include Manna’s Bobby Healy, Neurent Medical’s Brian Shields and Sisterly’s three co-founders.
It is a list that always catches the eye. The EY Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) programme finalists for 2026 have been announced today and there’re some very familiar faces to our readers. According to EOY, the 24 companies featured collectively employ more than 3,000 people, generating revenues of close to €1bn.
Hot on the heels of Manna’s $50m investment and jobs announcement yesterday (1 April), its founder Bobby Healy has earned his place in the ’emerging’ category, as has Brian Shields, whose Galway medtech start-up Neurent Medical closed an oversubscribed $62.5m Series C financing round for its Neuromark medical device to treat chronic rhinitis back in February.
It’s little surprise also to see the inclusion of Sisterly and its three co-founders Aoife Matthews, Jennifer O’Connell and Louise O’Riordan. The three seem to have captured the women’s health zeitgeist with their easy-to-use, science-backed ‘The Elevator’ supplement, which is designed specifically for women and was endorsed early by some big names like former star athlete Sonia O’Sullivan.
In total, there are 31 entrepreneurs representing 24 companies from across the island of Ireland shortlisted over three categories.
EOY Finalists – Emerging
- Aoife Matthews, Jennifer O’Connell & Louise O’Riordan of Sisterly
- Bobby Healy of Manna Air Delivery
- Brian Shields of Neurent Medical
- Danny Buckley of ADHDNow
- Dr Harriet Tracey of Beyondbmi
- Jennifer Rock of Skingredients Ltd
- Laura McCarthy of Drink Botanicals Ireland
- Liam Kearney of The Revive Group
EOY Finalists – Established
- Tommy Kearns of Xtremepush
- John Corley of Spanish Point Technologies
- John Lunn of Lunn’s
- Karl Zimmerer of Glanua
- Oltian Dervishi of Forte Pespa
- Paul Vallely and Clare Walsh of Kukoon
- Robin Jones of Golden Bake
- Trevor Casey of EPH Controls
EOY Finalists – International
- Brian Moloney of StormHarvester
- Chris Horgan of Dexgreen
- David Brennan of Eastgate Engineering
- Dermot O’Shea of Taoglas
- Ian Morgan and Sanjay Abraham of XPress Healthcare Ltd
- Maire Claire Reid of TST Group
- Paul, Gary & Mike Martin of Martin Group
- Ronan and Conor Burke of Inscribe
“Entrepreneurship in 2026 looks very different to even a few years ago,” said Roger Wallace, head of assurance & EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Ireland.
“We are operating in a world shaped by geopolitical instability, rapid advances in AI and a level of economic uncertainty that demands creativity as much as resilience. Our finalists this year have not only adapted to this environment, but are shaping it.”
This year’s finalists have been shortlisted by an independent judging panel of previous winners chaired by Harry Hughes, who is CEO of Portwest.
“Selecting just 24 finalists was an exceptionally difficult task,” Hughes said. “The entrepreneurs we met represent both long‑established sectors and fast‑emerging fields, but all of them are reshaping their industries with new ideas and new ways of working, and are turning challenges into opportunity.”
The EY Entrepreneur of the Year Ireland programme is supported by Julius Baer, Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland.
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