Forge Robotics, Equal1 and Akara are just some of the several deep-tech successes from Ireland.

Economies worldwide want to create successful home-grown deep-tech companies, especially as the world fights for AI domination, while preparing for a quantum future.

Here, the EU is bringing together a group of private investors to pump billions into the region’s deep-tech sector under a new multibillion-euro ‘Scaleup Europe Fund’.

The region has allocated nearly €1.4bn just this year to support the development of deep-tech research and high-potential start-ups.

The vast sector has deep roots in Ireland. Here are eight start-ups in the sector making waves in the country and abroad.

Oscil

Oscil, formerly known as PowFreq, offers data analytics support for the pharmaceutical and dairy sector.

Founder Dr Patrick Cronin received Enterprise Ireland’s Big Ideas award earlier this year after winning a pitching battle against competing pre-spin-out ventures emerging from EI’s Commercialisation Fund.

Speaking to SiliconRepublic.com, Cronin explained that Oscil provides real-time data analytics for powder manufacturing, addressing the issues in the production process and the end product’s overall performance. This improves how baby formulas are produced, he said.

Forge Robotics

Irish AI robotics start-up Forge Robotics recently secured a place in Y Combinator, the prestigious accelerator that has backed the likes of Airbnb, Stripe and Uber.

The Galway start-up, which was founded by CEO Eoin Cobbe and chief technology officer Robert Cormican, wants to tackle the rising threat of skilled welder shortages in manufacturing using intelligent automation.

Despite just being inducted into the accelerator, the start-up had already incorporated a US entity and is on track to launch their first product in July 2026. They received $500,000 in pre-seed funding as part of acceptance into the San Francisco-based programme.

Equal1

Irish quantum darling and the subject of several headlines over the last year, Equal-1 is behind Bell-1, Ireland’s first quantum computer.

Speaking to SiliconRepublic.com earlier this year, the company’s chief commercial officer explained that Equal1’s approach to building quantum machine utilises existing semiconductor tech to accelerate commercialisation.

Bell-1, uses parts made for other uses, such as cryo-coolers typically made for MRI machines and chips made by TSMC and similar companies, that produce chips for traditional computing. Recently Equal1 was picked by the European Space Agency to instal the advanced quantum computer at the agency’s Phi-Lab as part of the ‘Quantum Computing for Earth Observation’ initiative.

Aerska

Irish biotech Aerska emerged from stealth this October with a $21m seed raise to advance its pipeline of medicines and grow its Irish and UK operations.

The start-up, which develops therapies for brain diseases, was co-founded by serial biotech entrepreneur Jack O’Meara, alongside David Hardwicke and leading RNA scientist Stu Milstein. It is developing medicines that use RNA interference, an approach that can silence harmful genes linked to brain diseases.

Akara

Dublin-based Akara won the Irish leg of this year’s KPMG Global Tech Innovator competition. Founded in 2020 as a Trinity College Dublin spin-out, the start-up uses artificial intelligence and robots to assist in disinfecting critical areas such as hospital operating theatres.

But that wasn’t Akara’s biggest achievement this year. One of the start-up’s devices made it to Time Magazine’s best inventions list for 2025 under the medical and healthcare category. In 2019, the start-up’s robot Stevie shot to fame as a Time Magazine cover star (while also making it to the best inventions list that year).

Trojan Track

Co Kildare-based start-up TrojanTrack was announced as the winner of the One to Watch Award at the 2025 University College Dublin AI Ecosystem Accelerator programme.

The start-up uses advanced AI and pose estimation technology to detect early signs of lameness or imbalance in horses through smartphone video recordings. It’s platform currently has more than 200 horses and is planning for a full commercial launch in Ireland and the UK early next year.

TrojanTrack has, to date, raised €500,000 in pre-seed funding, including from the Enterprise Ireland Pre-Seed Start Fund and High-Potential Start-Up funding. It is currently raising a €1.3m seed round.

Proveye

NovaUCD-headquartered climate-tech Proveye recently received a European Space Agency contract to finish developing and start deploying its agritech innovation ‘ProvVari’. ProvVari is a precision fertiliser solution designed to increase productivity and reduce costs for farmers.

This latest backing marks the third time the NovaUCD-based remote-sensing company has collaborated with the ESA.

Last year, the company received a contract worth €900,000 from the ESA to develop its platform, which combines satellites, drone image processing and AI to measure and monitor land use, carbon sequestration and biodiversity in grasslands.

While in 2022, Proveye secured €225,000 in funding from the agency to develop its grassland management platform.

Wrksense

Wrksense, an AI-driven HR tech start-up raised €825,000 in pre-seed funding last year to fuel its global expansion, enhance its AI features and build strategic partnerships with players in the recruitment industry.

The start-up has a presence globally across Canada, US, UK and Ireland with plans for Philippines and Australia due to growing demand.

Founded in 2023 by Andrew Connolly, former managing director of Morgan McKinley Canada, and Ruaidhrí McDonnell, former head of software architecture at Spencer Stuart and eShopworld, Wrksense is designed specifically for recruitment agencies.

The platform, integrating itself with customer relationship management systems, enables agencies to tailor their service offering and scale by offering AI-powered tools for project management and reporting.

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