Patrick Cronin of University of Limerick spin-out Oscil won the Big Ideas Award at Enterprise Ireland’s Start-Up Day 2025. The event, which was held at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin and attended by over 600 people from the Irish start-up community, was a success. Oscil is a deep-tech company focusing on real-time data analytics for powder manufacturing.
They have developed a sensor and edge-AI solution that allows in-line powder flow analysis. This technology addresses issues like sensor fouling, yield loss, and process downtime in the pharmaceutical and dairy sectors. As part of the award, Cronin and his team will participate in UC Berkeley’s Venture Connectivity Program in the US.
“It’s exciting to get that validation,” Cronin said, recognizing the expertise of the competition judges.
Enterprise Ireland’s Start-Up Day winners
Tara Dalton, founder of TANGO, another University of Limerick near-spin-out, received the Big Ideas runner-up award.
TANGO has created a new instrument that measures T-cell function using microfluidics to automate the analysis of a person’s adaptive immune system. “We’ve only been working on this for about two years with the help of Enterprise Ireland. We’re really excited to commercialise it,” Dalton said, noting the importance of the award.
The Start-Up Day pitching competition also included notable start-ups from Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Michael Carey, chair of Enterprise Ireland, presented the awards. He commented, “The Big Ideas pitching element and awards at Start-Up Day provide a platform to showcase Enterprise Ireland’s commercialisation funded research approaching start-up status, with significant potential for success.
Carol Gibbons, head of entrepreneurship, regions, and local enterprise at Enterprise Ireland, outlined the agency’s plan to launch 1,000 start-ups by 2029.
She emphasized the importance of working together with investors, third-level organizations, and multinationals to reach these goals.
