💡 Paul Mescal & Belfast Start-ups

Céad míle fáilte!

What’s going on up North? Something’s clearly in the water.

This week alone, four Belfast-based firms landed fresh funding (more on that below 👇) including Movetru, led by newly crowned Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree Naomi McGregor.

And that’s just part of the story. Other recent wins include:

• Catalyst Belfast breaking into Europe’s top 100 startup hubs

• Fibrus (ranked #48 on Deloitte’s EMEA Technology Fast 500)

• Cloudsmith’s $23M raise

• Axial3D’s $18.2M round

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

It’s clear: The N.I. tech scene is really buzzin’ 🐝 and showing no signs of slowing down.

And the best part? Talent building from home — exactly how it should be (even if I keep reminding everyone how great Aussie beaches are…despite never actually going.).

⏳ Today’s dispatch takes 4 minutes 18 seconds to read. ⏩ Only got 10 seconds? Here’s the lowdown:

• Johnson Hana acquired by US legal AI trailblazer Eudia

• Australia just got a front-row seat to Irish SportsTech

• €60M+ in fundraising news

• In this week’s Brain Food: a €30B chip factory, 500 new jobs from Fenergo, Europe’s fastest-growing tech hub & the Lions tour rakes in millions.

Enjoy ☕

NEWS FROM ABROAD
Naomi McGregor named in Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe

What happens when you combine engineering smarts, elite athletics, and Northern Irish grit? You get Naomi McGregor — founder of Movetru and freshly named to the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe (Social Impact) list.

Before building wearable tech, Naomi was pursuing a ballet career — until a serious knee injury at 14 ended that dream. Three years, eight specialists, and still no answers. Rather than giving up, she channelled her frustration into innovation.

Her engineering master’s thesis laid the groundwork for Movetru: a wearable + app combo that gives athletes and coaches real-time biomechanical insights, helping prevent injuries before they happen.

Already live across the UK and Ireland, Movetru’s early results look extremely promising — and Naomi’s vision goes beyond sports tech. She’s challenging the way we think about movement, medicine, and athlete care.

Another Irish founder leading from the front — and worth keeping an eye on. 🔥

More stories you need to know 🔍

🇺🇸 Johnson Hana acquired by US legal AI trailblazer Eudia
Founded by Dan and Alexander Fox, Johnson Hana has already transformed how legal services are delivered. Now, under Eudia, they’re scaling that impact globally.

🇦🇺 Australia just got a front-row seat to Irish SportsTech
Enterprise Ireland Australia & New Zealand, just wrapped a bold trade mission down under—bringing 11 of Ireland’s most exciting startups to AFL, cricket, and rugby territory.

🌎 Why 77% of Irish Y Combinator Startups Leave Ireland — and what can be done to stop the exodus?

FUNDRAISING
Cumulus Neuroscience raises £3.25M to scale its “Fitbit for the brain”

Belfast’s Cumulus Neuroscience has raised £3.25 million (€3.8 million) to scale its AI-powered “Fitbit for the brain.” Their FDA-cleared dry-sensor EEG headset and AI platform help diagnose and monitor brain conditions like Alzheimer’s and depression — all from clinic or home.

Backed by Whiterock’s Growth Capital Fund and others, Cumulus aims to expand globally, boost commercial teams, and deepen B2B partnerships with biopharma.

📌 Why it stands out:
- Founded by neuroscience and medtech experts
- Provides objective brain function data for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative care
- Belfast HQ, targeting worldwide impact

This tech promises to transform how neurological diseases are studied and treated, making brain health data faster, smarter, and more accessible.

Who else has been raisin’💸

💉 Randox (Founder: Dr Peter Fitzgerald)
£50M (€58M) – Antrim based diagnostics giant. Funding from HSBC UK will support U.S. expansion, international clinic rollouts, R&D, and the growth of their direct-to-consumer Randox Health service.

💡 LUMENSTREAM (Founder/CEO: Alistair Brown)
£1.2M (€1.4M) – Belfast cleantech offering “Lighting as a Service.” Funding will scale their smart lighting solutions, helping businesses cut CO₂ emissions with zero-upfront-cost installations.

🤸 Movetru (Founder/CEO: Naomi McGregor)
£1.2M (€1.4M+) pre-seed – Northern Ireland sports tech using wearable sensors to optimise athletes' movement and reduce injury risk. Funds will support product launch, European/U.S. expansion, and doubling staff.

🤖 Oraion (Founders: Alexander Walsh & Derek Lowry)
€2.9M ($3.5M USD) pre-seed – Dublin-based AI automation startup for enterprises. Funding will accelerate product development and enable expansion into U.S. and Latin American markets.

🛒 Jarvio (Founders: Jake Ryan, Connor Mulholland & JD O’Hea)
€1.5M pre-seed – AI-powered platform simplifying Amazon seller management. Funds will support U.S. expansion, product development, and hiring. Over 650 brands on their waitlist.

🌱 Odos (Founders: Alejandro Vergara & Cian White)
€680K – Agri-tech Irish university spin-out focused on measuring and verifying environmental impacts in agriculture. Funding supports tech scaling and climate-focused expansion.

🧠 BRAIN FOOD
€30B chip factory, 500 new jobs & Lions tour rakes it in

Here is your quick serving of Irish Insights-related wins, trends, events, media and resources that we think you’ll enjoy digesting 🍽️

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🦁 Inside the British & Irish Lions’ Multimillion-Dollar Money Machine: Profit, Growth, and a Rugby Celebration READ HERE

🤖 Why Elon Musk’s AI Chatbot Went Rogue READ HERE

💻 Ireland aims to establish a €30 billion semiconductor factory READ HERE

🇪🇺 Ireland Emerges as Premier Tech Hiring Hub as EU Talent Landscape Shifts READ HERE

🏦 Fenergo creates 500 new jobs as part of €100 million investment in RD&I supported by Enterprise Ireland READ HERE

📖 The Go Fuel Yourself story: The founders of Go Fuel Yourself attribute their success to Ireland's supportive startup ecosystem READ HERE

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