Three NovaUCD startups, Glyvantis Bio, HAON Life Science and Polliknow, are among the 36 companies named by InterTradeIreland as regional finalists in the 2026 Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition.
The Seedcorn competition is aimed at independent ventures incorporated on the island of Ireland in the seed, start-up or early stages of business development, and is the perfect chance for businesses to become investor ready, mirroring the real-life investment process.
Each of four regions, Northern Ireland, Dublin, Munster and Connacht & Leinster, has nine finalists, comprising three finalists in each of three award categories, B2B, B2C and deep tech.
Glyvantis Bio, HAON Life Science and Polliknow are the three finalists in the Deep Tech Award category in the Dublin Regional Final of the competition.
“Seedcorn continues to support the next generation of high-growth businesses by providing a platform to showcase innovation, strengthen investment propositions and build valuable connections with investors, judges and industry experts. The quality of this year's regional finalists has been outstanding, reflecting the strength of entrepreneurial talent, innovation and growth ambition across the island. Reaching this stage is a significant achievement and highlights the considerable potential within Ireland's start-up ecosystem”, said Shane O’Hanlon, funding for growth manager, InterTradeIreland.
Glyvantis Bio
Glyvantis Bio was founded in 2025 by Associate Professor Ioscani Jimenez del Val as a spin-out from UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering with the support of NovaUCD.
Pictured is associate professor Ioscani Jimenez del Val, founder, Glyvantis Bio.
The company is commercialising a proprietary cell engineering platform that optimises the glycosylation, or sugar profiles, of therapeutic proteins such as monoclonal antibodies. The technology improves the efficacy and safety of biopharmaceutical products and is designed to support pharmaceutical companies in accelerating drug development.
HAON
HAON, a neuro-focused biotech company headquartered at NovaUCD, is rebuilding the brain's infrastructure with regenerative medicines. CanVas-001, the first candidate from HAON's CanVas platform, is an intranasal treatment for newborn brain injury, a condition responsible for 22% of neonatal deaths and cerebral palsy in 20% of surviving cases.
Pictured are Dr Moayed Hamza and Mark O’Neill, FCA, co-founders, HAON Life Science.
HAON's CanVas consortium, with partners, NIBRT, the Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland (CCMI) at University of Galway, the INFANT Research Centre at University College Cork and ICON plc, has secured a €10.7m DTIF grant to advance CanVas-001 to clinic.
HAON was co-founded by Dr Moayed Hamza and Mark O’Neill, FCA.
Meg Brennan, founder, Polliknow.
Polliknow
Polliknow, founded by Meg Brennan and headquartered at NovaUCD, is transforming conservation efforts with AI-powered ground sensors that monitor insect pollinator diversity and abundance alongside other environmental indicators. Unlike traditional surveys Polliknow's non-invasive approach generates 20x more data while making biodiversity measurement simple and accessible. The company is currently partnering with airports, renewable energy sites and nature restoration projects to track biodiversity changes over time.
Polliknow is part of the ESA BIC Ireland initiative at NovaUCD.
Liam Cronin, Director of Innovation, UCD said, “I would like to congratulate the three NovaUCD startups, Glyvantis Bio, HAON Life Science and Polliknow, shortlisted for the Deep Tech Award category at the Dublin Regional Final of the 2026 Seedcorn Competition.
As the sole finalists in this Award category, their success on being named regional finalists underscores the quality and global potential of the deep tech start-ups which we nurture to grow and scale within the NovaUCD ecosystem. I wish them the very best of luck ahead of the Dublin regional final.”
Prior to attending the regional final, each of the 36 regional finalists will have the opportunity to attend an investment pitch master class to assist them in the preparation of their pitch.
Following the regional finals, 12 regional category winners, four B2B, four B2C and four Deep Tech companies, will be selected to progress to the all-island semi-finals on 12 November 2026, where they will pitch to an independent judging panel.
The judges will then select the three category winners, who will advance to the all-island final that afternoon. The overall winners will be announced at the Awards ceremony that evening.
Category and overall winners will receive prize funding of either €130,000 or €100,000, awarded in instalments and linked to the achievement of agreed business milestones, helping to support the early stages of business growth.
Further details on the 36 regional finalists in Seedcorn 2026 available via https://intertradeireland.com/funding/seedcorn/regional-finals