Two Irish start-ups, Lia Eyecare and Sports Impact Technologies were among the Awards winners announced at the conclusion of the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s highly competitive M2D2 Challenge start-up competition.
Hosted by the University of Massachusetts’ Medical Device Development Centre, the annual competition, which is now in its 14th year, is aimed at identifying and rewarding ground-breaking and disruptive start-up companies in the medical technology and biotechnology sectors from around the world.
Lia Eyecare and Sports Impact Technologies were among only 15 start-ups from around the world selected for the final.
Following pitches to a panel of judges at the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s iHub, Sports Impact Technologies was announced as winner of the 3rd place Award with in-kind support from Mintz and bene : studio, and Lia Eyecare was announced as winner of the M2D2 $25K cash award.
Sports Impact Technologies, the company founded by Eóin Tuohy, is headquartered at NovaUCD in Dublin. It is currently developing a compact, behind-the-ear wearable that detects head impacts in real-time. Using proprietary sensor technology, the wearable records linear and angular accelerations, transmitting data instantly to coaches, medical staff, or safety officials for immediate decision-making, reducing recovery times, and ensuring no concussion goes undetected.
Lia Eyecare
Eóin Tuohy, CEO, tells Sync NI: “The M2D2 has been a great experience for us. We were delighted to be selected as a finalist and to then place 3rd and win two of the in-kind supports from Mintz and bene : studio was a wonderful bonus. We are delighted with the validation from the judges and the wider UMass Lowell community as we set our sights on the US.”
Lia Eyecare, a joint University College Dublin (UCD) and University of Galway ophthalmology spin-out has developed the non-invasive, Nightleaf™ product which uses a neurological approach and advanced thermal modulation technology to stabilise the eye’s tear film layer to treat dry eye disease. A progressive and debilitating condition, dry eye disease currently affects over 345 million people worldwide.
The company, headquartered in Cork and with offices also in NovaUCD, was co-founded by Breda O'Regan and Sinéad Buckley following research on Nightleaf™ which commenced through the BioInnovate Ireland programme in Galway, and which was further developed at UCD with the support of Enterprise Ireland commercialisation funding.
Breda O'Regan, CEO and co-founder, Lia Eyecare, said: “Being selected as a finalist, and now one of the winners, of this prestigious global challenge is a powerful validation of our work. It positions Lia Eyecare among the top emerging MedTech start-ups globally. We first became aware of this opportunity during the AwakenHub St. Brigid’s trade mission to Boston and New York, which was instrumental in guiding us here.”
Massachusetts-based CranioSense, which is developing IPASS, a portable, non-invasive device for monitoring intracranial pressure, was named the overall winner of this year’s $200K M2D2 Challenge competition.
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