JunieXR has been named national winner of the 2026 Creative Business Cup Ireland, earning the opportunity to represent Ireland at the prestigious Creative Business Cup Global Finals in Copenhagen next week.
The company will join creative start-ups from more than 60 countries to compete on the international stage and connect with investors, industry leaders and fellow innovators from around the world.
Creative Business Cup Ireland is delivered through a national partnership between CREW (Creative Enterprise West) and the Western Development Commission (WDC), and the Creative Business Network (Denmark). The initiative supports Ireland’s most promising creative entrepreneurs by connecting them with international networks, business development opportunities and global markets through the Creative Business Cup platform.
The Cup is an international competition designed to empower creative entrepreneurs by connecting them with investors, global markets and the wider startup ecosystem. Each year, the competition showcases innovative businesses across sectors including design, media, music, fashion, film, gaming, architecture and immersive technologies, helping ambitious founders scale their businesses and create global impact through creativity.
This year’s programme saw a cohort of Ireland’s leading creative startups exhibit at Edge26: Ireland’s Creative Economy Summit.
JunieXR, founded by Grace Dinan, impressed the judging panel with JunieStream, an accessibility solution that delivers sign language interpretation, adaptive captions and interactive viewing features natively within streaming platforms. By placing accessibility controls directly in the hands of viewers, without requiring a separate application or modification of the original content, JunieStream is transforming digital accessibility and enabling broadcasters and content providers to deliver more inclusive viewing experiences.
Joining Dinan in Copenhagen will be joined by Miguel Escobar, founder of Mekkato CreaTech Studio, which builds AI-powered software and provides strategic consulting for the global screen industry. Based in Galway, Mekkato’s flagship product, ScriptGuru, gives screenwriters, production companies, studios and streaming platforms tools to develop, refine and progress stories towards production-ready stage, helping to streamline the creative development process and unlock new opportunities for the screen industry.
“Creative Business Cup Ireland is about creating opportunities for ambitious creative businesses to connect with international markets, investors and collaborators,” said Niamh Costello, CEO of CREW. “This year’s programme supported a cohort of exceptional founders through mentoring, business development and showcasing their businesses at Edge26 before selecting Ireland’s national representative.”
Dinan said: “We’re incredibly honoured to be named the winner of the Creative Business Cup Ireland. Accessibility should never be an afterthought, and this recognition reinforces our mission to make digital content more inclusive for all audiences. We’re excited to represent Ireland at the Global Finals in Copenhagen, showcase Irish innovation on the world stage, and connect with an inspiring community of creative entrepreneurs.”
Allan Mulrooney, CEO of the Western Development Commission, said: “Creative entrepreneurs are making an increasingly important contribution to Ireland’s regional economy, creating innovative businesses with global potential while strengthening our local enterprise ecosystems. Through our partnership with CREW, the Creative Business Cup provides a valuable pathway for these businesses to access international markets, networks and investment opportunities. JunieXR is an excellent example of the world-class innovation emerging from Ireland’s creative sector, and we look forward to seeing Grace represent Ireland in Copenhagen.”
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