Enterprise Ireland has unveiled the High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Founder of the Year Award 2026, with the overall winner to be announced at a ceremony on Thursday, 15 October 2026 at Salesforce Tower in Dublin.

From an eligible pool of 38 start-ups, five founders have been shortlisted: Breda O'Regan, Lia EyeCare; Mark Birrane, WONDR Jellies; Robert Norton, Kaptea; Seán Kirwan, MedWrite AI; and Leah Fletcher, Dunbar Pharma.

On 15 October, the winner will be chosen by a judging panel comprising Heidi Davis, CEO & Founder of Peri, Founder of the Year 2024; Dan Fox, Strategic Advisor of Eudia and Co-founder, Johnson Hana (former CEO); and Donnchadh Cullinan, Divisional Manager for Technology, Services and Consumer, Enterprise Ireland.

The award is a cornerstone of the HPSU Founders Forum, now in its 11th year and delivered in partnership with Select Strategies. More than 500 founders from sectors including digital technologies, medical devices, fintech, food, engineering and construction have taken part to date. The Forum's goal is to help founders support each other to scale faster and succeed internationally.



Founder of the Year 2026 – Finalists

• Breda O'Regan, Lia EyeCare

Breda O'Regan is co-founder and CEO of Lia EyeCare, an Irish eyecare technology company developing science-backed solutions designed to work in harmony with the body. A KPMG-trained Chartered Accountant with senior leadership roles at Apple, Allergan and Johnson & Johnson, she has guided Lia through fundraising, CE certification and manufacturing scale-up. Its first product, Nightleaf®, is a non-invasive wearable used before sleep that supports the eyes' natural ability to restore and recover.

• Mark Birrane, WONDR Mark Birrane is the founder and CEO of WONDR, an Irish brand reshaping the sweets category with great-tasting jellies that offer the enjoyment of traditional confectionery with added benefits such as low sugar, high protein and high fibre. A former League of Ireland footballer, he brought together his interests in health, sport and business to launch WONDR, which is expanding across Ireland, the UK and Europe, with the US firmly in sight.

• Robert Norton, Kaptea

Robert Norton is co-founder and CTO of Kaptea, creator of Pronto, a journey orchestration platform built on Twilio. Pronto runs workflows and AI across all communication channels, linking people, AI agents and business systems to manage critical customer journeys end to end. Robert leads Kaptea's technology and product direction, transforming complex communications into coordinated journeys where every commitment is tracked and every loop is closed.

• Seán Kirwan, MedWrite AI

Seán Kirwan is CEO of MedWrite AI. Hospitals use MedWrite to safely deploy and manage AI agents that automate clinical documentation, coding and administrative workflows, completing tasks up to 10x faster. MedWrite works with public and private healthcare organisations across Ireland and has raised over €1 million in funding. Seán has more than 20 years' experience in digital health and previously served as Global Director of Digital Health Solutions for Neuroscience at Novartis.

• Leah Fletcher, Dunbar Pharma

Leah Fletcher is founder and CEO of Dunbar Pharma, Ireland's first EU GMP-certified cannabinoid pharmaceutical manufacturer. She built Dunbar from concept to manufacture, securing major funding and a first-of-its-kind suite of technically demanding licences, developing in-house processes and IP, and launching WaterClear THC™, an innovative plant-derived dronabinol API, to partners behind ten magistral preparations in two major export markets. A recognised authority on cannabinoid regulation, Leah leads a team in Athlone, combining senior pharmaceutical professionals with an ambitious scientific graduate programme.