Celebrating Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers TU Dublin graduates and students, on the Thirty Under 30 List: Seven Entrepreneurs Making Waves in Business
At TU Dublin, we pride ourselves in shaping future leaders of business and innovation. This year, we are thrilled to celebrate the outstanding achievements of five entrepreneurs who have completed the EI New Frontiers Programmmes at TU Dublin, two TU Dublin students and one graduate who made the prestigious Thirty Under 30 list in the Sunday Independent last week.
Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers programme at TU Dublin Alumni
1. Lucy Byrne – Founder of KickStat Lucy Byrne of KickStat graduated from New Frontiers Phase 2 Tallaght programme (Synergy Centre) this December 2024. She is making significant impact in the world of sports and technology. As founder of KickStat (www.kickstat.co), Lucy is on a mission to make KickStat a globally renowned female-driven sports application for real-time match updates, player stats, and capturing the action from women's football around the world.
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Launched in October 2023, KickStat ensures women’s football fans never miss a moment by showcasing 28 leagues across 12 countries. KickStat has already onboarded thousands of active users across 35 countries and the start-up has secured its first partnership with STATSports, offering data analysis on women’s football. Plans are already underway to expand into the UK and across Europe ahead of the Women’s EUROS 2025 in Switzerland, As momentum around the daily users accessing KickStat builds, Lucy is focused on continuing to enhance the app’s capabilities.
Lucy demonstrates exceptional leadership and passion for driving change in the sports industry by empowering and uniting fans of women’s football around the world. Her inclusion in the Thirty Under 30 comes as no surprise as this founder continues to trailblaze her own path to success.
2. Lorcan Healy – Founder of Eos Elite Lorcan Healy, founder of EOS Elite is a graduate of New Frontiers Blanchardstown and is an in-spiring young entrepreneur who has made a mark in the sports apparel industry. At just 24 years old, Lorcan founded Eos Elite Ltd (www.eos-elite.com), an innovative performance apparel brand based in Dublin, dedicated to empowering athletes and runners to improve themselves. What began in Lorcan’s bedroom in late 2022 has quickly grown into a thriving business, serving over 25,000 customers across Ireland and the UK and generating nearly €750k in sales. Eos Elite is known for its grip socks, worn by Premier League footballers, international rugby players, and inter-county GAA athletes. In addition, Lorcan’s brand made headlines with the launch of the Eos UltraLight running vests, which led to a partnership with Breast Cancer Ireland. These limited edition Pink BCI Running Vests raised €8,322 for the charity in 2024.
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Lorcan's ambition doesn't stop there. In 2025, Eos Elite aims to expand its product range, increase exports, and grow fourfold. Lorcan’s success story is a proud example of entrepreneurial drive and the power of local talent on the global stage.
3. Isabella Hughes – CEO of Simple Probate Isabella Hughes is the CEO and founder of Simple Probate (www.simpleprobate.ie), a software platform designed to streamline and simplify the probate process for solicitors and their clients. The start-up reduces the workload for solicitors by 50%, while improving the client experience during a difficult time.
Isabella is a New Frontiers at TU Dublin Tallaght graduate having just completed Phase 2 this December. A former legal executive in a solicitor’s office and former international boxer, Isabella's journey to entrepreneurship is one of resilience and innovation. Her entrepreneurial spirit earned her the JCI Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Isabella’s focus on simplifying complex processes and her drive to make a difference in the legal sector are truly inspiring. Her achievement as part of the Thirty Under 30 is well deserved. It underscores the importance of innovation in addressing real-world problems, which TU Dublin Enterprise Engagement is keen to support
4. Joel Olympio – Co-founder of The Focus Co. Joel Olympio, Co Founder of the Focus Co (www.thefocuscompany.co), graduated from the-New Frontiers Programme at TU Dublin City Campus, Grangegorman this year. Joel, with Co-Founder Vadim Vorobyov are creating smart eyewear designed to enhance focus. Together they are bringing to market a product that blends cutting-edge technology with their research into focus psychology, resulting in the revolutionising of how we interact with our environment to improve concentration.
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Their product, Oasis, won the prestigious James Dyson Award, was shortlisted in the top 20 global Dyson inventions, and featured in Prototypes for Humanity in Dubai. The innovative eye-wear has already attracted global attention for its potential to help people who need to maintain focus in demanding environments.
Joel and his team have recently been awarded Pre-Seed Start Funding (PSSF) by Enterprise Ireland and are aiming to close their pre seed round in Q1 2025. The Focus Co, is set to make a significant impact with infinite possibilities on the way people work, study, and interact in our increasingly distracted world.
Current TU Dublin Students
1. Ryan Ormonde (Saor Water) Ryan Ormonde is a current TU Dublin student in Business and Management and founder of Saor Water (www.saorwater.ie). Ryan helps brands enhance their customer experience through branded bespoke canned water, whilst also being a sustainable beverage experience. Ryan has already secured some well-known companies as customers and continues to expand his customer base which includes TU Dublin as one of them.
2. Aaron Devitt (MARC) Aaron Devitt, has deferred his studies at TU Dublin to focus on his business. Aaron is the founder of MARC (https://marcprop.com), which is an end-to-end property management system using AI power. MARC's AI algorithms allow users to manage more properties with less work as a managing agent. MARC automates repetitive tasks to increase tenant and landlord satisfaction whilst also managing the repetitive phone calls and emails, freeing up managing agents to focus on more important aspects of their business. Aaron is very focused on expansion of his company to facilitate the active market and customer demand in this area.
TU Dublin Alumni
1. Shauna Burke (Croía Jewellery) Shauna Burke of Croia Jewellery is a TU Dublin BSc Management Graduate, owner and director of Croía Jewellery, (www.croiajewellery.ie), a company that provides high-quality jewellery pieces that elevate style and add the finishing touch to outfits. Shauna is driven by a passion for jewellery and fashion accessories, and her vision is to create a brand that reflects her values and personality.
Shauna graduated with Business Management from TU Dublin in 2019. Shauna’s mission is to grow CROÍA through her passion for jewellery, and to contribute to the local economy and community.
A Bright Future Ahead
The achievements of Lucy, Isabella, Joel, Lorcan, Ryan, Aaron and Shauna showcase the remarkable entrepreneurial talent supported and emerging from TU Dublin. Their hard work, innovation, and dedication have not only earned them a spot on the Thirty Under 30 list but have also paved the way for future success.
We look forward to seeing their continued growth and successes, including their positive impacts in the years to come.
Niall Shanley, TU Dublin Senior Manager for Entrepreneurship Programmes & Support Services, comments:
It is great to see the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Ireland so invigorated with the younger generation of entrepreneurs. We are delighted that these entrepreneurs are allowing us to be part of their journey. TU Dublin will continue to offer support with our programmes and services. We take great pride in seeing all the successes of entrepreneurs we work with, but today we especially celebrate those listed on the Thirty under 30 list
TU Dublin is committed to fostering a community of forward-thinking innovators and entrepreneurs and we can’t wait to see what the next generation of graduates and New Frontiers programme at TU Dublin participants will achieve.
Congratulations once again to Lucy, Isabella, Joel, Lorcan, Ryan, Aaron and Shauna – your achievements are inspirational #GoBeyondLearning #iinfinitepossibilities.
Notes:
Enterprise Ireland's New Frontiers programme equips ambitious founders with the right con-nections, the right skills, and the right route to capital. It empowers them to take an idea or early stage business through the initial development phases and prepare for their first phases of fundraising and growth. Delivered nationally, New Frontiers is the right way to build a successful and sustainable start-up.
https://www.tudublin.ie/new-frontiers
TU Dublin Enterprise Engagement acts as the focal point for providing enterprise and entrepreneurship support and services in TU Dublin; we offer entrepreneurship programmes like Enterprise Ireland's New Frontiers programme, Incubation Spaces, and targeted support to Students Entrepreneurship programmes and Female Entrepreneurs through our TrailblazHERTM initiative.