Friday, 24 July 2015

dcGAP in the News

We are delighted to see dcGAP participants attracting attention in the business press.
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Sunday, 19 July 2015

Vynomic Takes Agri Wifi to New Markets

With the support of dcGAP, Dr Aaron McConnell has developed his IT solutions company, Vynomic Ltd., which specialises in agri wi-fi.  
"The technology I’ve developed means farmers can have instant visual access to their farms and out-houses at any time"  

This unique product is solar powered and features motion detection and video recording for added security.
"I have all this technology in place and am currently working with Hutchinson Engineering in Kilrea to develop batteries and solar panels"

Participating in dcGAP, has enabled Aaron to refine the financial side of his business and helped him to plan to bring his product to new markets.
"The long-term picture is to take this technology into areas where there have been natural disasters. Very quickly, I can cover hundreds of square miles with network in about half a day and I don’t need any electrical power."
As a dcGAP participant Aaron has benefited from one-to-one mentoring sessions with business mentor Leo Mullan of Causeway Enterprise Agency.
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Saturday, 18 July 2015

Mark Tees Off with Original Designs

With the support of dcGAP, Mark Sheppard has developed his design business, Weeker Tees.


Weeker Tees supplies original t-shirts designed and made by Mark from his home-based workshop in Portrush. All made to order, they’re inspired by Mark’s love of music and indeed, his own experiences as a part-time musician. It’s a concept which, he admits, could have gone drastically wrong, but Mark’s unique, quirky designs have been a big hit on eBay and he has high hopes for the future.
“Some of the t-shirts are inspired by a line out of a song. Ideas come from the strangest places. I like to let them sit for a while, then I draw the design on a sketch pad and later digitise them, with most of the tweaking then done on the computer.”
Starting off trade testing in January this year, Mark quickly began trading for real as his business took off.  He’s now working on a trademark for his designs and hopes to acquire a business unit in Portrush as soon as possible.

As a dcGAP participant Mark has benefited from one-to-one mentoring sessions with business mentor Leo Mullan of Causeway Enterprise Agency.
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Friday, 17 July 2015

Dominic Rehabilitates Virtual Reality Games

With the support of dcGAP, Dominic Holmes has developed a business offering a new experience in virtual reality gaming.


Dominic's Tago Jacket uses haptic technology, also known as kinesthetic communication, to create tactile feedback for gamers. This means they can feel sensations during play – when their character gets hurt for example – as sensory projectors within the jacket translate the sound into a pattern of vibrations.
“When you’re player gets shot, the vest tells you exactly where you got shot to give a more interactive experience,” 
Dominic is a postgraduate student in the School of Computing and Information Engineering at the Coleraine Campus of Ulster University.
“I’m now nine months into my PhD and I’m planning to adapt [Tago Jacket] for use with people with neurological conditions who are rehabilitating.
Dominic goes on to say:
“It’s most likely to be used alongside other rehabilitative technologies, like motion tracking. The patient will get feedback from the vest about how well they performed their exercises. It will make them more aware of how they’re doing and help them adhere to their treatment.”
As a dcGAP participant Dominic has benefited from one-to-one mentoring sessions with business mentor Leo Mullan of Causeway Enterprise Agency.

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Wednesday, 15 July 2015

Creating the Future - Fin 2015

The School of Media, Film and Journalism's end of year show, Fin, was held on 3-10 June in Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart.


This is the fourth year that the show has been hosted at Flowerfield, during which time it has attracted more than 1200 visitors.
"Creativeness, enterprise and inventiveness are key talents to future success,  All these are here in abundance at Fin.  [...]  We are delighted that this show includes an exhibition of of the digital start-up companies, created since September by students and graduates of our school and its partner, the School of Computing and Engineering." 
~ Dr Colm Murphy, Head of School of Media, Film & Journalism.
This very successful annual event was, once again, supported by the dcGAP project and its partners.
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Friday, 10 July 2015

Ulster Students Enter the Dragons' Den

University of Ulster students pitched their businesses to a panel of Dragons at the Coleraine Campus on 27 March, 2015.


Below: successful dcGAP participants, Mark Sheppard and Aaron McConnell, meet with the Mayor after the Dragons' Den event.


Left-to-right:
  • Mark Sheppard 
  • Dr Aaron McConnell 
  • Dr Colm Murphy (Head of School of Media, Film and Journalism, Ulster University)
  • Councillor Michelle Knight-McQuillan (Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council)
  • Sarah Travers
  • Leo Mullan (business mentor, Causeway Enterprise Agency)
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