Medtech founders shortlisted for Start-Up Award

Two medtech SME founders have been shortlisted for the Enterprise Ireland High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Founder of the Year Award for 2026. 

This year, 38 HPSUs were eligible for the award, with the list now narrowed down to five finalists: Breda O’Regan, Lia EyeCare; Mark Birrane, WONDR Jellies; Robert Norton, Kaptea; Seán Kirwan, MedWrite AI; and Leah Fletcher, Dunbar Pharma.

Breda O’Regan is co-founder and CEO of Lia EyeCare, an Irish eyecare technology company developing science-backed solutions that work in harmony with the body.

A KPMG-trained Chartered Accountant with senior leadership experience at Apple, Allergan, and Johnson & Johnson, Breda has led Lia through fundraising, CE certification and manufacturing scale-up.

Its first product, Nightleaf, is a non-invasive wearable for use before sleep, supporting the eyes’ natural ability to restore and recover.

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 10-times 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 was previously Global Director of Digital Health Solutions for Neuroscience at Novartis.

Also in the running is Leah Fletcher, 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, 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 10 magistral preparations in two major export markets. 

The overall winner will be announced at an awards ceremony which will take place on 15 October at the Salesforce Tower in Dublin.

The winner will be selected by a panel of judges that includes 2024 Founder of the Year winner Heidi Davis, who is CEO and founder of Peri, a wearable that accurately tracks perimenopause symptoms. 

Now in its 11th year, the HPSU Founders Forum is delivered in partnership with management consultancy Select Strategies.

To date, more than 500 founders have participated in the competition, with candidates coming from a variety of sectors including digital technologies and medical devices.