Three start-ups join European Space Agency Business & Innovation Centre
Three start-ups have joined the ESA BIC Ireland initiative at NovaUCD in Dublin. The companies, Better Futures, Polliknow and Restore Blue will avail of a the two-year business incubation programme which supports innovative Irish start-ups that have a connection with space.
In addition to each company securing up to €50,000 in seed funding, the start-ups now have access to technical expertise, training, funding opportunities, and join a network of space industry leaders, to support them in using space data, technologies and assets to further develop their products and services.
Between them the companies are seeking to raise €3.3 million in funding over the next two-years to support their strategic development and growth plans.
Better Futures, founded by Anthony McLoughlin, is an AI-focused start-up which has developed EVA (engineering verified assistants), a platform for engineers and manufacturers that automates paperwork such as report creation and parsing requests for quatation with engineering verified assistants, freeing up resources and accelerating innovation.
McLoughlin said: “Space engineers spend up to half their day on low-level repetitive documentation tasks, and this has become an accepted norm in the industry, where they are literally drowning in paperwork. With the breakthrough of large language models, we now have the opportunity to change that, but only if we address the current gaps in accuracy, control, and domain-specific knowledge, and that is why we built EVA. As aerospace engineers, we are proud to join the ESA BIC community and are excited to contribute to the wave of innovation now transforming the sector.”
Better Futures won the design and manufacturing award at the 2024 Irish Times Innovation Awards and an ABB 2025 Startup Challenge Award for Generative AI in the distribution solutions category.
Polliknow, founded by Meg Brennan, uses AI to monitor insect pollinator diversity and abundance alongside other environmental indicators. Unlike traditional surveys Polliknow’s non-invasive approach generates up to 20x more data while making biodiversity measurement simple and accessible. The company is currently partnering with airports, renewable energy sites and nature restoration projects to track biodiversity changes over time.
Brennan said: “ESA BIC Ireland connects you with an extensive network of technical experts and keeps you informed about the latest space technology innovations. Within the programme we plan to improve the geolocation features of our device and explore the use of satellite imagery to provide additional data for projects.”
Polliknow previously completed the Enterprise Ireland-funded New Frontiers Programme delivered by IADT Media Cube in partnership with NovaUCD and has also completed the Founders programme at Dogpatch Labs.
As the offshore wind sector expands, Restore Blue, founded by Dr Sarah Cosgrove, is focused on promoting environmentally sustainable development for the offshore construction sector. Through innovative, data-driven software solutions, Restore Blue supports developers in identifying Nature-Inclusive Design (NID) opportunities for their project site, minimising environmental impacts, and embedding biodiversity preservation into their projects.
Dr Cosgrove said: “Following the launch of our software in a pilot programme earlier this month our next priority within ESA BIC Ireland is to enhance its capabilities with a focus on using satellite-derived data to assess the viability of offshore sites for nature-inclusive technologies.”
Restore Blue previously completed the Enterprise Ireland-funded New Frontiers Programme delivered by ATU Sligo-Donegal, the BnM Accelerate Green programme and the Innovation Studio programme delivered by An Bord Iascaigh Mhara and Hatch Blue.
ESA BIC Ireland is managed by ESA Space Solutions Centre Ireland, a consortium partnership involving Tyndall National Institute, University College Dublin; Atlantic Technological University, Dublin City University, Maynooth University, Munster Technological University and Technological University of the Shannon.
Peter Finnegan, manager, ESA Space Solutions Centre Ireland and head of new ventures at Tyndall National Institute, said: “It is testament to the growing level of space-related activity in Ireland that we welcome another three companies into the ESA BIC Ireland network. All of these companies are engaged in innovative activity that address global problems in their respective fields. We look forward to seeing these companies scale and execute on their ambitious visions.”
ESA Space Solutions Centre Ireland’s local partner is Enterprise Ireland, which acts as the contact point for Ireland’s National Delegation to ESA, along with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.
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