With new pieces of technology changing the business landscape in recent years, it’s no surprise to see that many of Northern Ireland’s entrepreneurs are looking at ways of using cutting-edge tech to create new opportunities. The ten finalists for the 2023 INVENT awards have been named, so we can see how they plan to introduce exciting new business ideas.
How the Business World Is Changing
These contenders for the INVENT awards help us to see how technology is being introduced in many different aspects of life, giving us some lifestyle aids and solving common problems while also providing opportunities for local businesses to innovate and flourish.
This is just one sign of how technology is being used in the modern business world. According to the 2023 FT FDI markets report, Northern Ireland is now one of the leading regions on the planet for fintechs. Around 46,000 people in the country work in the financial sector and it has one of the UK’s highest concentration of fintech jobs.
Technology is already being used to change many of our everyday activities. For example, Bangor recently rolled out a new mobile app called Roam Local. Designed to help people and businesses across the community to connect, it’s a social media-type app that should keep the area safer and increase well-being.
Many hobbies have been transformed, with this live online casino showing how games like roulette and blackjack can now be played with a human dealer live-streamed onto the screen. This technology has also led to the introduction of game show-type efforts like Adventures Beyond Wonderland and The Greatest Card Show. Expect to see more of these casinos and other hobbies use technology like virtual reality and augmented reality in the future.
Details of the INVENT Finalists
This awards ceremony will take place on September 21, at the ICC Waterfront in Belfast. It’s been held as an annual event for more than a decade, and this year’s contest sees it split into five categories, covering business software, Greentech, consumer software, health and well-being, and products.
The Greentech category includes GoPlugable as well as Wake and Make. The former wants to give people the chance to connect their home vehicle chargers to a peer-to-peer network, while the latter is looking to introduce a better solution for modular battery energy storage.
The next category is health and well-being. AXONNR creates functional prosthetics using artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, while Little Sunflower focuses on emotional well-being. In products, CycleAid is a safety device using AI and WearMatter is an adaptive clothing brand that is designed to be inclusive and universal.
Business software covers the SEQO platform for the TV and film industry, while Track aims to help businesses get their digital setups more organised. In the consumer software section, Feminatech helps women to track their health while Learning Me is a well-being app supporting good learning practices.
These projects help us to see how the business landscape is changing, and how Northern Ireland entrepreneurs can help us in many different aspects of our lives. With the fintech sector growing and local entrepreneurs keen to put their ideas into practice, expect to see more new products and services like those mentioned.
