Second edition of Endeavor Ireland’s Scale Up Programme for Northern Ireland selects six founder-led companies

Endeavor Ireland has selected six founder-led companies to participate in the second edition of its Northern Ireland Scale Up Programme, an initiative designed to accelerate the growth of high-potential entrepreneurs.

Endeavor is a global not-for-profit organisation with a mission to support and accelerate high-impact entrepreneurs by connecting them with talent, capital and a worldwide peer and mentor network. Since opening its Ireland office in Dublin in 2019, Endeavor Ireland has selected 15 founders across 11 Irish companies to join the network, including Cubic Telecom, Strong Roots, LearnUpon, Wayflyer, Gym+Coffee, XOCEAN, Keelvar, Thérapie Group, Sculpted by Aimee, and Overhaul. In 2024, Karl Gilbert from Raylo was the first entrepreneur from Northern Ireland to be selected to join the network. Collectively, these companies employ over 3,000 staff and generate revenues exceeding approximately €650million.

As part of its not-for-profit mission to support the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem, Endeavor Ireland has run several Scale Up Programmes, including the Northern Ireland Scale Up Programme in 2024, reflecting Endeavor Ireland’s commitment to its all-island mission. 

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Last year’s cohort included Ryan Donnelly, Co-founder of Enzai; Laura Haldane, Co-founder of SciLeads; Mark Dowds, Founder of RESPONSIBLE; Greg Maguire, Founder of Humain Studios; and Roger Johnston, Founder and CEO of Axial3D, who raised $18.2 million in December to expand medical imaging technology.

Following a call for applications in December, the following Northern Ireland-based founders have been selected for this year’s programme:

• Ciaran Gillen, Co-Founder & CEO, Digital Iron
• Fiona Jelly, Co-Founder & CEO, ComplyFirst
• Jonny Clarke, Founder & CEO, Locate a Locum
• Liam McStravick, Founder & CEO, TeamFeePay
• Mark Shields, Founder, Taka
• Oliver Lennon and Catherine Ewings, Co-Founders, Syndeo

The entrepreneurs will now participate in a five-month programme, which will include a number of curated one-on-one mentorships from the Endeavor network globally, selected based on the specific needs of each founder and company. Additionally, the cohort will have opportunities to engage with the wider Endeavor network locally and globally through in-person events, including hands-on workshops and a networking dinner. 

The Endeavor Ireland Board includes Angela Moore CBE, owner of the Virginia Distillery Company (US) and MD of Macha Capital, who originally hails from Northern Ireland and is an active angel investor locally, as well as Rosaleen Blair CBE, Chair of Kainos and founder of AMS, which has extensive operations across Northern Ireland. The Edge from U2 is the Founding Chair, and previous Board members include Belfast native and hotelier Paddy McKillen. 

This years’ programme is sponsored by Irish venture private equity group, VentureWave Capital. Kieran McLoughlin, Managing Partner and Co-Founder said: 

“VentureWave Capital is delighted to fund this programme and support Endeavor Ireland's cross border activities. We see incredible opportunities in Northern Ireland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.  We are consistently impressed by the exceptional talent and innovation emerging in Northern Ireland. This is evident in the outstanding founders selected for this year’s programme. We look forward to supporting them as they scale and achieve their full potential.”

Managing Director of Endeavor Ireland, Aileen Hayes, said; 

“We’re excited to launch a second Scale Up Programme for Northern Ireland, inspired by and building on the incredible talent we saw in our first cohort. At Endeavor, we’re committed to empowering high-impact entrepreneurs to scale their businesses and drive meaningful change across the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem continues to go from strength to strength, and this programme is designed to provide founders with the mentorship, strategic guidance, and global network needed to accelerate their growth. This second cohort of founders is solving problems in industries as wide as AI, heavy machinery and sports tech, and we’re looking forward to working with them in the months ahead."

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The inaugural session of the programme was hosted at Queen’s University in Belfast last week. Speaking at the launch, the founders selected to participate in the programme made the following comments:

• Jonny Clarke, Founder & CEO, Locate a Locum – A platform connecting healthcare professionals with employers across the UK and Ireland, specializing in pharmacy and optometry. Locate a Locum has been recognized on the Deloitte Fast 50 in 2023 and 2024: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be accepted onto the Endeavor Entrepreneur Programme. This is a huge milestone for both me and Locate a Locum as we continue our journey of growth and innovation. Being part of a global network of high-impact entrepreneurs will provide invaluable mentorship, resources, and opportunities to scale the business even further. I’m excited for what’s ahead!”

• Fiona Jelly, Co-Founder & CEO, ComplyFirst – A RegTech platform for financial services that simplifies regulatory compliance through its innovative Regulation-as-a-Service software. ComplyFirst secured £1.3 million in funding in December 2024, led by Techstart  (Hold for quote) I’m grateful to be accepted into the Endeavor scale-up programme at such a pivotal time for us. As we focus on GTM and build on our traction, the chance to be mentored through our growing pains by world-class experts in the Endeavor network is a huge advantage for our business”

• Oliver Lennon, Co-Founder & CEO, and Catherine Ewings, Co-Founder & COO, Syndeo – An enterprise-grade Conversational AI platform that enhances digital customer engagement. Syndeo has been featured on the Deloitte Fast 50 in 2023 and 2024 (Hold for quote) Catherine Ewings, co-founder and COO said “Syndeo are thrilled to part of the programme. This opportunity connects us with invaluable resources, mentorship and a network of global industry leaders who will help support our journey to the next level.”

• Liam McStravick, Founder & CEO, TeamFeePay – A club management system revolutionizing grassroots football club administration worldwide. TeamFeePay has raised $5 million from Techstart, Clarendon, and InvestNI "I feel very proud and privileged that TeamFeePay have been accepted onto the programme. We are 3.5 years old, and given our growth and trajectory to date, we are on a mission to transform Grassroots Football through our platform across Europe.  As the fastest growing in the world in our vertical domain, we believe the programme, the network affect and the support of international; mentors associated with Endeavor, will help us smash through the £100 million in rev goal by 2029. The chance to do this with other like-minded NI Start Ups and Founders is something that I am genuinely looking forward to over the next 12 months"

• Mark Shields, Founder, Taka – A platform dedicated to youth soccer, providing high-quality highlights, data, and analysis for athletes, coaches, and recruiters. Taka has raised over $5 million, backed by Techstart (Hold for quote) When applying for the programme I spoke to a number of people who were involved in it last year and they were effusive in praise about the personal growth it provided and the strength of the wider Endeavor network. This feedback has made us excited about the potential that Taka and those in the programme can derive from it and each other.

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