Meet the entrepreneurs following their dreams of a greener world
John Favier, CEO of NanobOx, says Accelerate Green is opening access to new markets for his company's energy-efficient use of 'nanobubbles' to oxygenate water for chemical-free cleaning and sanitisation.
The fact that our planet’s climate is at a critical point is influencing individual and organisational changes across the world.
Bord na Móna is playing an important role as part of Ireland’s commitment to transitioning to a climate-neutral economy by 2050. A key element of Bord na Móna’s mission is to lead the way and help the country re-imagine how it engages with climate action.
As Head of HR and Corporate Affairs at Bord na Móna, Sharon Doyle says the company’s Accelerate Green Programme, which started last year, is designed for businesses “that are innovative in the sustainable climate solution space. Bord na Móna’s ‘Brown to Green’ strategy focuses on the delivery of renewable energy and climate solutions.”
Peat briquettes will cease production at Bord na Móna in June.
“Essentially, we will no longer be a peat-based fossil fuel company. As we progress on our journey, we have identified the need for green innovators and other businesses to step into that space with ourselves and provide sustainability-focused employment, mainly in the Midlands.”
Having been on its own sustainability journey, Ms Doyle says that Bord na Móna is helping business leaders to identify pathways of scale, innovation and delivering solutions of measurable impact while supporting economic growth.
Now into its third Accelerate Green Programme, involving eight companies, Bord na Móna is investing €5m over three years in the continued rollout of this initiative. The programme is the first scaling accelerator in Ireland to focus on a sustainable transition to the green economy. It was developed in conjunction with Erinn Innovation and is being delivered in conjunction with Resolve Partners.
“Supporting green innovators through Accelerate Green is a top priority for us at Bord na Móna. We are currently on a path to continue expanding our renewable energy solutions to support Ireland’s sustainable energy requirements by 2030 with a longer-term goal of supporting our national ambition of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. These goals cannot be reached without the growth and support of energy-conscious and environmentally sustainable companies and the Accelerate Green participants are leading the way in this field.”
Bord na Móna provides mentoring support and advice to the companies.
Ms Doyle says there are “huge opportunities in the sustainability space”. She adds that the eight companies currently participating in the programme “are very credible with very strong commercial offerings”.
The participants in the Accelerate Green programme include the following:
- NanobOx, which is developing novel water technology that provides an energy-efficient way of oxygenating water for chemical-free cleaning and sanitisation with nanobubbles;
- Hibra Design, which is an automotive design engineering company that designs sustainable renewable alternatives to diesel powertrains in off-road and speciality vehicles;
- HUB360, a software platform that optimises logistics with a particular focus on reducing carbon emissions;
- HaPPE Earth, which is championing sustainability and the circular economy by aiming to bring together medical-grade functional compostables with SDG measurement for healthcare, a compostable medical waste solution and other pipeline products;
- Superfy, which delivers sustainable smart resource management solutions through technology, empowering enterprises and connecting cities;
- NEG8 Carbon, which is a spin-off from Trinity College Dublin specialising in the capture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The company aims to be the leading inventor and integrator of sustainable and affordable technologies for the capture of carbon dioxide using renewable energy;
- EC Charging, which is a well-established Irish manufacturer of end-to-end Electric Vehicle charging equipment.
- CW Applied offers design, manufacturing and distribution services to facilitate successful electronic and IoT-enabled innovation. As well as electronic product design, CW Applied is also re-imagining electronic manufacturing to satisfy the demands of an evolving market.
John Favier, CEO and co-founder of NanobOx, says: “Through participation in Accelerate Green, we have gained valuable insights on strategies to develop and scale our business internationally. Accelerate Green has helped us to better understand how we contribute to more than just the economic sustainability of our customers by getting us to think more deeply about the environmental and societal impact.
“We have learned from climate-focused entrepreneurs who have already scaled up about the importance of quantifying how we can help our customers meet their sustainability targets and reduce their carbon footprint.”
Mike Keane, Director of Hibra Design, says the Accelerate programme covers a wide range of customer-focused topics in significant depth. It has supported Hibra Design to be clear on its value proposition by rigorously testing strategies and the assumptions behind them. This has really sharpened the areas of most impact for the company and for our clients.
Mike adds: “Accelerate Green has an international outlook and has allowed Hibra Design to interrogate opportunities for our service to have increased impact in an Irish context but also to understand how to position the company and how to reach global customers.
“Sustainability is the fundamental driver for Hibra Design. We decarbonise industrial vehicles by re-engineering fossil-fuel-powered vehicles with battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell solutions, thus eliminating tailpipe emissions. Although sustainability is important to many of our clients, it is not often clear to companies how the value of environmental and sustainability goals can be measured. Accelerate Green allowed Hibra Design to show how the sustainability value of our services can have real, calculable, fiscal benefit to our clients.”
Mr Keane says the mentoring support has been very useful. “It has given Hibra Design examples of real-world business strategies and tactics that we can employ. Alongside this, it has shown where to appropriately place sustainability-focus as the business grows. This changes due to bandwidth and the changing relationship with our customers as we grow. Accelerate Green has given us practical strategies that work for each stage the company is at while having longer-term goals.”
John O’Neill of HUB360 says that the Accelerate Green programme has provided the company with access to world-wide class mentors and experts, it has given us invaluable insights into how to both scale and market our platform effectively.
“Through the programme, we have gained access to a fabulous community of like-minded businesses and experts who are all committed to driving positive change in the fight against climate change. Being part of this community means we now have connections with other businesses and experts who share our values and visions, and we have been inspired by their stories and experiences,” he said.
Mr O’Neill says the mentorship aspect of the Accelerate Green programme has been the most valuable experience.
“Accelerate Green provided us with access to a wealth of knowledge and expertise from seasoned professionals that would have been impossible to obtain otherwise. These mentors have given us practical insights on how to refine our business strategy. They’ve encouraged us to make informed decisions about how to prioritise our efforts for maximum impact. They have challenged us to think critically about our goals and have inspired us to aim higher and think bigger using their invaluable ‘lived’ real-world experience.”
One of the co-founders of HaPPE Earth, Lisa O’Riordan, along with her cousin Dr Mary O’Riordan, says the company is fortunate to have Resolve Partners as mentors at Accelerate Green.
“They are skilled at dismantling our ideas and challenging us to investigate each aspect of the business and guiding us through the process of making it a more scalable business. It can be daunting but they are helping HaPPE reach full potential. The epic story of Bord na Móna’s evolution has also been an inspiration. Their journey serves as a reminder that with hard work and perseverance, anything is possible.”
Ms O’Riordan says: "Accelerate Green has been instrumental in helping us communicate that sustainability is at the core of our business. Being part of a cohort that is specifically focused on promoting sustainability has given us the opportunity to connect with other like-minded individuals who share our values.
"By interacting with and learning from them, we have been able to broaden our knowledge of sustainable practices and how to incorporate them into our business more effectively. Through the guidance of our peers and mentors, we’ve learned how to better communicate our sustainable practices to our customers, suppliers and stakeholders. This has enabled us to showcase our commitment to sustainability and to differentiate ourselves in a crowded marketplace.
"The support we’ve received from entrepreneurs and speakers has been invaluable. Their experience and knowledge have provided us with insights into how we can grow and develop our business. By learning from their successes and challenges, we have been able to make more informed decisions and avoid potential pitfalls. Their guidance has helped us refine our business strategies, identify new growth opportunities and develop more effective sustainability practices.
“Born na Móna, Accelerate Green and the speakers have given us access to a network of contacts and resources that we may not have otherwise had. This has allowed us to build relationships with other like-minded people and companies, opening up new possibilities for collaboration and partnerships. They have provided us with insights, resources and networks that will be critical to our success in the long term. We are incredibly grateful for everything we have absorbed so far.”
John Dillon from Superfy says the Accelerate Programme is providing “some valuable insights and access to an extended network of experienced advisors across all business functions and potential investors. We have always had ambitions to scale this business and the programme has been very helpful in our preparations for navigating the steps along the journey.”
Sustainability is “core to our business, but Accelerate Green has helped us to refine our messaging and focus in on very specific target markets. We’ve been very impressed by the quality of the speakers and networking opportunities on the programme. The follow up one-to-one mentoring sessions have also been very beneficial. For any business, it is very important to test your propositions and strategy on a regular basis and the programme has provided us with excellent reviews from independent, external experts who serve a valuable role in challenging our thinking.”
Theresa Keady, Director of EC Charging, says that Accelerate Green has been invaluable to the company because of the networking opportunities with sustainable companies. The programme has helped the company to communicate that sustainability is core to its business through workshops on sustainability for business.
Ms Keady says the company has benefited from mentoring “from climate-focused entrepreneurs who have already scaled up and have a wealth of experience and insights that they can share. They have provided us with insights, resources and networks that will be critical.”
Managing director of CW Applied Technology, John O’Connell, says: "When the company was set up, we had the objective of providing a high quality and high-value design and manufacturing service for the type of leading, dynamic and innovative customers we currently serve and also, to enable the most creative, start-up companies we could find in the sector and help them to grow and deliver on their promise where we could. Participating in Accelerate Green has given us the opportunity to focus on the latter part of that original objective and re-energise our scaling efforts for that objective in particular.”
Mr O’Connell says that the company’s most important and innovative customers “have products which are undeniably focused on sustainability. Through the marketing and sales modules in Accelerate Green, we have learned how to ensure that we can communicate that fact to other potential customers in green technology. We have also developed clear messaging around our own green credentials in terms of our manufacturing service. That process has also helped us to identify further areas we can concentrate on for increased sustainability within our process.”
Being able to gain mentoring support from climate-focused entrepreneurs who have already scaled up has been of huge benefit to CW Applied Technology.
“In any situation where you are trying to scale your business, having access to people who have ‘been there and done that’ is invaluable. As we are seeking to scale climate-focused manufacturing products, the mentoring support has been really good.”
Chief commercial officer for NEG8 Carbon (formerly Trinity Green Energies) Adrian Costigan, explains that the company uses Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology to extract C02 from the atmosphere, helping to reverse global warming.
“We have just begun to commercialise our technology, so the timing of this year’s programme is perfect for us,” says Mr Costigan. “It provides a springboard for our business to attract funding and scale. The programme offers opportunities to connect with potential customers and investors, as well as receiving mentoring expertise and media exposure.
"Our ambitions are to capture millions of tonnes of C02, both in Ireland and internationally in the coming years. The programme has been incredibly beneficial in helping us define our value proposition, identify our ideal customer and develop a clear go-to market strategy.”
Bord na Móna is hosting a conference on ‘Ireland’s Sustainable Future 2023’ on June 1 at the Tullamore Court Hotel. One of the keynote speakers will be Stephen Kinsella, economics lecturer at University of Limerick. Environmental scientist Dr Cara Augustenborg will also speak.
For more information, visit accelerategreen.ie.
