Irish health technology company Amethyst Care has been awarded €100,000 in Pre-Seed Start Fund (PSSF) funding from Enterprise Ireland (EI) towards development of an AI voice companion for older adults.
Amethyst Care combines AI voice technology with remote health monitoring to help older adults and individuals with mobility-related illnesses remain independent in their own homes for longer.
The platform provides medication reminders, wellbeing check-ins and ongoing data collection, allowing a more complete picture of a person’s health over time as well as identify potential intervention points before hospital admission becomes necessary.
It relies on a screenless, voice-activated interface, making it easily accessible for elderly patients or individuals who lack the fine motor skills required to navigate traditional smartphone apps. Wellbeing assessments are carried out through two-way vocal communication.
The company was founded in 2024 by Rebecca McManus, who combined her career in tech with her own experience caring for her parents. The research side of the project is led by Professor Vinny Wade, Chair of AI at the School of Computer Science and Statistics, Trinity College Dublin, and former Director at the Research Ireland ADAPT Centre.
The EI investment will support the continued development and commercialisation of Amethyst Care’s AI-powered solution as the company scales across healthcare and home care markets.
The funding follows the company’s recent opening of its office in Mentor, Ohio, expanding its presence in the United States. Amethyst is also launching a seed-round to seek further investment to scale the business.
EI’s Pre-Seed Start Fund offers €50,000 or €100,000 one-time investments to early-stage companies with viable products, a well-identified customer base and a plan to scale. Funding comes alongside 10 sessions with the agency’s panel of mentors.
In 2024, Amethyst Care received more than half a million euro in funding from Enterprise Ireland through its Commercialisation Fund Programme, which supports third-level researchers in translating their research into innovative and commercially viable products, services and companies.
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