How It Works

pitch

Carefully shortlisted founders from all sectors pitch their startup, to a panel of US investors - from the Donegal Diaspora network - who have built global enterprises.

receive

Our Sharks will provide pitchers with:

Advice on their roadmap
Tough love
Valuable insights into accessing the US market

win

Opportunity to win a share in a cash investment of up to $100,000, powered by our judges, use of meeting space on the East Coast via ALPHA Innovation’s US partner and Crowned the winner of Disrupt by the Sea.

Previous Highlights from

Disrupt By The Sea

Watch Back

Founders who pitched to our Sharks

Oliver Begley

Large corporations under pressure to manage and track the impact of land banks on the environment
New regulations will impose fines of up to 5% of their revenue in EU
Biota’s Tech replaces need for an ecologist on site, collecting primary data, and drafting a report
Biota is 7x Faster & 8x Cheaper

Stephen Conmy

Content licencing (articles) is a hidden industry
Mostly internal teams, revenue left on the table due to manual, slow and inefficient process
Software enables fast licencing of articles for a %
Making licencing transactional

Dr. Esther Murphy

Access to talent is a global issue
Corporates can unlock talent with specific training for those with intellectual disabilities and autism
Peer-led ‘See-it, be-it’ learning approach via video
Currently working with corporates and universities

Eóin Tuohy

Addressing undetected concussions in contact sports
Protocols are in place, Clubs are under pressure from parents
This venture provides a small device that fits behind ear
It measures impact when it reaches risk threshold

Joe Fernandez

Children with dyslexia are not assessed until age 8 or 9
Skills shortages and outdated practices, lead to educational, financial and emotional burdens.
ALPACA provides rich data to an educational psychologist - quicker, faster and smarter.
Child gets assessed 3 years earlier
Cost of assessments reduced by 50%

Check out Previous Pitchers

Our Shark Tank Judges

Mark Baiada

Hailing from New Jersey, USA, Mark and his wife Ann have strong ties to Kilmacrennan, County Donegal. As members of the Donegal Association in Philadelphia and the Irish American Business Chamber and Network (IABCN), the couple were recipients of the Tip O’Neill Award, in recognition of their achievements in their support for the Irish Diaspora.

John Fries

John Fries is a first-generation Irish-American whose father was born and raised in Kilmacrenan, County Donegal.

John had a successful business career spanning 24 years in the Tech and Healthcare industry. His focus in recent years has been at board-level roles and senior leadership positions with start-up firms.

Mike Finnucane

Based in Limerick, Mike Finucane is the General Manager of BAYADA Home Health Care (Ireland). With over 15 years experience in engineering and manufacturing working with Dell, Mike moved into the healthcare space as General Manager of ShannonDoc. Mike oversaw a period of intensive change and restructuring at the company before moving to BAYADA.