Ones to Watch: Your Smile Direct

Graham Byrne, Founder, Your Smile Direct

In our Ones to Watch section, we highlight some of the top movers and shakers in Ireland. This week we feature Your Smile Direct.

What is it?

Your Smile Direct is an Irish cosmetic dental company bringing cutting-edge orthodontic technology directly to consumers. Treatment addresses problems including overcrowding, gaps, unevenness, rotation and orthodontic relapse with impressive results in an average of 20 weeks and costs up to 70% less than traditional dental methods. All treatments are prescribed and monitored by a registered dentist, so the cost and time involved in getting a straighter smile is lowered, without compromising on quality of care. The company launched in the UK in January 2016 and since then has expanded globally into Ireland, Italy, France, Australia and New Zealand.

Who’s behind it?

Your Smile Direct was founded by Graham Byrne in 2015. A serial entrepreneur, Graham has held a number of senior leadership positions in international companies across the UK and Ireland. In 2015, Graham experienced first hand the time commitment and cost involved in getting a straighter smile. While researching available treatments, he came across American companies who provided clear aligner treatment directly to customers by omitting the need for multiple dentist visits, without cutting out the licensed dentist themselves. This made the process simple and much more cost effective for customers. He knew a similar model would work well in Europe and in 2015 researched how this could be done effectively before founding Your Smile Direct with the aim of implementing a direct-to-consumer process on this side of the Atlantic.

How is it funded?

Your Smile Direct was initially self-funded by Graham. In 2017 the company raised a seed investment of £2 million and is currently in the process of closing a Series A fundraising round of €10 million.

Future plans?

Your Smile Direct is a global company and as such is constantly looking at other markets to expand its reach. After a successful launch in Australia and New Zealand, thoughts have now turned to Canada and Northern Europe. The company was founded on the belief that healthy, well-aligned teeth shouldn’t just be for the wealthy and this continues to be the goal; receiving feedback from customers delighted to finally be able to afford to correct concerns that have bothered them since a young age is what drives the business. The long-term aim of the company is to become the world’s largest and most trusted provider of laboratory-to-consumer dental solutions.