ArrayPatch, a Cork-based biotech spinout, has been announced as the winner of the InterTradeIreland all-island Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition, walking away with a cash prize of €130,000 to invest in their business.
It was double joy for the Cork company, as they also won the Deep Tech category on the night, while Gigi Supplements (Dublin-based) and HaPPE Earth (Cork) won in the B2C and B2B categories, each taking home €100,000. Slice of Life, a Dublin based food start-up company, won the Impact Award, taking home €20,000.
The Seedcorn competition aims to improve the investor readiness of innovative new-start and early-stage businesses. 2025 saw a new increased total competition prize fund of €800,000, with a new primary focus on ensuring a broad range of winners across all categories.
ArrayPatch is developing DerMap™, a next-generation pain free dissolving microneedle technology which penetrates the skin barrier, dissolves and releases medication precisely at the target site. By repurposing proven drug compounds and bypassing the need for invasive treatments, ArrayPatch is creating a platform with the potential to transform how conditions such as nail fungal infections, skin cancers, migraines and metabolic diseases are treated.
Dr Waleed Faisal, CEO of ArrayPatch, said that the support they have received throughout the Seedcorn competition ‘has sharpened our strategy and accelerated our path towards first-in-human studies’, stating that the win was “a tremendous validation of our technology and our vision”.
This year’s Seedcorn final was contested by 12 regional finalists from across the island of Ireland and as part of the process, the finalists presented their investment pitch to a panel of judges.
MORE CORK SUCCESS
B2B category winner HaPPE Earth is founded in Cork, and is tackling one of healthcare’s biggest environmental challenges, single-use plastic PPE waste. HaPPE Earth makes fully compostable personal protective equipment, which is then converted into fertiliser.
Participants in the competition continue to benefit from access to business planning workshops, unique networking opportunities and access to angel investors, and mentorship support throughout the competition to help them secure vital funding and support to drive their growth.
