Eight Irish Health-Tech Startups Shortlisted for 2026 KPMG Global Tech Innovator Competition
核心洞察
Eight Irish companies have been shortlisted for the national final of the 2026 KPMG (搜索) Global Tech Innovator competition, spanning biotech drug delivery, cardiac monitoring, AI-powered patient engagement, and menopause care.
ArrayPatch (搜索) has developed proprietary polymer-free microneedle drug delivery systems enabling painless, targeted, and self-administered medicine delivery, originating as a University College Cork spin-out.
Galenband (搜索) offers an upper-arm wearable capturing up to 90 days of continuous ECG data to improve detection of silent atrial fibrillation (搜索) after stroke, without adhesives or daily charging.
Eight Irish companies have been shortlisted for the national final of the 2026 KPMG (搜索) Global Tech Innovator competition, with several finalists targeting significant unmet needs across biotech drug delivery, cardiac health monitoring, AI-powered patient engagement, and women's health. The finalists, based across Cork, Dublin, Galway, Louth, and Monaghan, were selected for their technology platforms addressing real-world clinical and healthcare delivery challenges.
Anna Scally, global head of technology, media and telecommunications at KPMG (搜索), commented: "Our finalists are all focused on solving real world issues. From childcare and women's health to management of AI agents and effective delivery of drugs, these companies cover almost every corner of the tech landscape and are superb examples of the breadth of innovation occurring across the island of Ireland."
Scally added: "Each of the CEOs and founders are also hugely ambitious for their companies and the impact their technology can deliver."
The judging panel for the national final comprises Scally; Cyril McGuire, entrepreneur and CEO of Infinity Capital; Colin Goulding, vice-president for trust and safety at Google; Caroline Gaynor, partner at Lightstone Ventures and chair of the IVCA; and Conor Stanley, founder of Tribal.vc.
ArrayPatch: Polymer-Free Microneedle Drug Delivery
ArrayPatch (搜索) has developed proprietary, polymer-free microneedle drug delivery systems designed to enable painless, targeted, and self-administered delivery of medicines. The technology originated as a biotech spin-out from University College Cork and represents a novel approach to transdermal drug administration that could improve patient adherence and expand access to therapies requiring injection-based delivery.
Galenband: Continuous Cardiac Monitoring for Stroke Patients
Galenband (搜索) offers an upper-arm wearable device capable of capturing up to 90 days of continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) data without the need for adhesives, daily charging, or companion apps. The device is specifically focused on improving the detection of silent atrial fibrillation (搜索) following stroke, a critical clinical need given that undetected arrhythmias can lead to recurrent cerebrovascular events.
Spryt: AI-Powered Patient Engagement
Spryt (搜索) provides an AI-powered patient engagement and medical care organisation platform aimed at improving efficiencies in booking, planning, scheduling, and care delivery through an integrated AI "medical receptionist." A January investment round valued the company at approximately $12.5 million, reflecting investor confidence in AI-driven healthcare administration solutions.
The MenoPal: Unifying Menopause and Hormone Health Data
The MenoPal (搜索) offers a unifying intelligence layer for menopause and hormone health, combining fragmented symptoms, wearable data, and clinical information into structured and predictive insights. The platform addresses a historically underserved area of women's health by leveraging data integration to support more informed clinical decision-making.
Additional Finalists
The remaining shortlisted companies include DevAlly, an AI-powered accessibility compliance platform that raised €2 million in pre-seed funding last October; Disseqt, a compliance testing platform for detecting and resolving undesirable AI agent behaviours; Jentic, which offers a platform for safe connection between AI and enterprise APIs and became the first Irish company selected for the AWS generative AI accelerator, completing a €4 million pre-seed raise in 2024; and Öogo, a childcare-focused infrastructure platform connecting parents, caregivers, employers, and hospitality partners.