Eight of Ireland’s rising green innovators successfully complete Bord na Móna’s 2023 Accelerate Green Programme

Pictured (L–R): Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Dara Calleary, Chairman Geoff Meagher and Bord na Móna Chief Executive Tom Donnellan with representatives from the eight Accelerate Green participant companies HaPPE Earth, Hub360, EC Charging, Hibra, NEG8 Carbon, CW Applied, Superfy and Nanob0x. Accelerate Green is an accelerator programme launched by Bord na Móna to help businesses innovating in the sustainable climate solutions space to grow and thrive.

Eight rising green businesses from across Ireland have successfully completed the 2023 Accelerate Green Programme, a business accelerator programme that Bord na Móna is investing €5million in over the next three years to continue helping emerging Irish innovators in the climate solutions space to scale and thrive.

This year’s Accelerate Green businesses include NanobOx, Hibra Design, HUB360, HaPPE Earth, Superfy, NEG8 Carbon, EC Charging, and CW Applied Technology.

From direct air carbon capture technology, and medical grade compostables for Ireland’s healthcare system, to water treatment technology using nanobubbles, the 2023 cohort of businesses are pioneering some of Ireland’s newest sustainable innovations and creating unique climate focused solutions for a variety of industries in Ireland and internationally. 

As part of the Accelerate Green Programme conducted in partnership with Resolve Partners, the eight businesses have participated in a series of comprehensive learning and mentoring workshops in recent months, and engaged with a broad range of leaders from enterprise and energy agencies, Irish-founded companies, research networks and investors.

The eight 2023 innovators will now join the existing alumni of green businesses who participated in the first rollout of the programme last year, most of whom have reported continued business scaling in the past 12 months.

According to research* conducted among the 2022 alumni, 60% have scaled their business operations in Ireland, and 80% have grown their business internationally since graduating from Accelerate Green last year. 

40% of the alumni have secured more new investment in the past 12 months versus the previous 12 months, and the vast majority (80%) have expanded their workforce in the past year.

This year’s Accelerate Green Programme culminated in Bord na Móna’s Accelerate Green Conference ‘Ireland’s Sustainable Future 2023’ on Thursday 1st June, which showcased and celebrated the eight business to complete the programme and their journeys so far.

Over 250 attendees from across the country joined the conference to gain insights from some of Ireland’s key thought leaders and innovators who are using sustainable business ideas and practices to help tackle climate change.

Key speakers and panellists included: Bord na Móna’s CEO Tom Donnellan, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Dara Calleary TD, Assistant Prof.

Landscape Studies & Environmental Policy at UCD Dr Cara Augustenborg, AWS Director of Energy EMEA Lindsay McQuade, Bord na Móna’s Head of PowerGen Dr John Reilly and Professor of Economics at UL Stephen Kinsella, among many others.  

Pictured (L–R): Dara Calleary, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation photographed with Tom Donnellan, Chief Executive of Bord na Móna at Bord na Móna’s Accelerate Green conference in the Tullamore Court Hotel. The 2023 conference is bringing together sustainability thought leaders and innovators from across Ireland to share insights on sustainable business ideas and practices to help tackle climate change.

Commenting on the 2023 Accelerate Green graduate businesses Tom Donnellan, CEO, Bord na Móna said:

“I am delighted to welcome eight new businesses to our Accelerate Green alumni and hope to see them follow in the footsteps of last year’s innovators, many of whom have significantly grown their business operations, international footprint, and employee numbers since completing the programme.

“This year’s cohort of businesses are testament to the breadth of emerging talent, innovation and expertise we have in the Irish climate solutions space. Collectively they are delivering a variety of sustainability focused products and services catering to a wide range of needs and industries, but they all share a common goal – to contribute meaningfully to a more sustainable future.”

“Bord na Móna shares that same ambition as a renewable energy and climate solutions focused business, and we will continue enabling Ireland’s budding green innovators through our Accelerate Green Programme, with €5 million invested in its rollout over the next three years,” he added

Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Dara Calleary TD said:

“Innovators like those who have completed Bord na Móna’s Acccelerate Green Programme and the businesses who have joined its 2023 Conference instill me with great confidence and pride in the calibre of emerging talent we have in the Irish climate solutions space today.”

“We have set ourselves very ambitious environmental targets for 2030, as well as our longer-term goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Building a thriving community of green innovators and encouraging more sustainable business practice across Ireland will play a significant role in our national effort to realise these ambitions and create a more sustainable future for Ireland,” he continued.

“I wish the 2023 Accelerate Green businesses – NanobOx, Hibra Design, HUB360, HaPPE Earth, Superfy, NEG8 Carbon, EC Charging, and CW Applied- every success and continued resilience as they move forward on their respective journeys in Ireland and at an international level.”