Catalyst has announced the INVENT 2025 finalists, Northern Ireland’s top competition for emerging innovators and entrepreneurs, where a total prize fund of £56,500 is up for grabs.
The INVENT programme, spearheaded by science and technology hub Catalyst and supported by Bank of Ireland as the headline partner, is the region’s leading showcase for new entrepreneurial talent, enabling innovators to demonstrate their ideas to a panel of industry leaders.
Innovation knows no boundaries and INVENT 2025 celebrates this diversity by recognising outstanding achievements across a range of industries, as this year’s award categories include Green Horizons, Living Well, Creative Leisure, BioBreakthroughs, Uncharted Ideas and Future Business.
From sustainability and well-being to creativity and business ingenuity, the finalists prove that groundbreaking ideas can emerge from any sector. Each unique approach and inventive solution are testaments to the power of creativity in all its forms. INVENT aims to honour not just innovation, but the individuality that makes each breakthrough exceptional.
From Antigenesis Biologics’s cancer medicines for companion animals and Percy & Pop’s plastic-free solid shampoo and conditioner bars to Mude Clothing’s stylish and practical clothing suitable for medical devices and Equilyze’s smart saddle pad that gives real-time feedback on rider posture, the 2025 finalists are pushing the boundaries on innovation with a real-world problem to solve. Each category has produced inventions that have potential to become a commercial business.
The twelve finalists are:
The awards have a total prize fund of £56,500 available, with each category winner securing £5,000 and the overall winner walking away with an additional £20,000, giving a total top prize of £25,000. There will also be a £3,000 prize for the standalone Inclusive Innovation award, an additional prize of £2,500 awarded to the best student application in the competition and a £1,000 prize for the team which gives the best elevator pitch on the night of the INVENT Awards.
Last year’s overall winner, Dia Beta Labs Ltd is tackling the metabolic disease epidemic through development of disease-modifying peptides which provide higher quality, more sustainable weight loss than current options in obesity. Following their success at INVENT 2024, they have since raised £1.5million of public and private funding to assist with growth plans.
Claire Kelly INVENT Programme Manager at Catalyst said:
“INVENT continues to shine a light on some of our most creative and problem-solving minds in Northern Ireland. The level of quality and innovation amongst this year’s finalists is second to none as they have produced a host of fantastic ideas that have serious real-world potential. Well done to all those shortlisted and we look forward to celebrating you at the awards ceremony in October.”
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Niall Devlin, Head of Business Banking NI at Bank of Ireland said:
“Congratulations to all of this year’s INVENT finalists, an inspiring group of innovators whose ideas and solutions demonstrate the very best of entrepreneurial spirit. Their innovation and talent showcase what can be achieved when the right support is provided to entrepreneurs, enabling them to grow, develop and learn.
“Our partnership with Catalyst and continued support for the INVENT programme is rooted in a shared commitment to nurturing inclusive entrepreneurship. Since opening our first local branch in 1825, we’ve championed enterprise, and today we remain focused on creating the right conditions for entrepreneurs and businesses to thrive. We wish all of the finalists the very best as they progress to the next stage of the awards.”
The INVENT awards ceremony will be hosted at the ICC Waterfront in Belfast on Thursday 23 October 2025. To book tickets go to www.invent25.co/awards
Sync NI's Summer 2025 magazine celebrates women in tech across Ireland as we continue to encourage more women to enter the thriving sector and address the current gender imbalance. Read the Summer 2025 Sync NI Magazine online for free here.
