Irish entrepreneurs win again at EU women innovator awards

Lios co-founder Rhona Togher and Tympany Medical’s Elizabeth McGloughlin won at this year’s awards.

Following on from previous years’ tradition, Irish entrepreneurs have once again won big at this year’s European Prize for Women Innovators.

The award, in its 11th edition this year, celebrates successful and innovative women-run businesses from across the EU and Horizon Europe-associated countries.

This year, two Irish women have received this honour at the European Innovation Council summit taking place in Brussels today (3 April).

Rhona Togher, the co-founder of Lios won the second-highest award, bagging the runners-up prize under the Women Innovator category. Togher, an award winning physicist, received €70,000.

Co-founded with Eimear O’Carroll, the Dublin-based start-up has developed SoundBounce, a smart acoustic material which provides more advanced noise reduction. Lios’ technology protects people from avoidable hearing damage.

In 2020, the start-up partnered with the European Space Agency to develop the Sound Bounce material for use in space transportation technology. The two founders are no strangers to accolades, having won 2023’s European Inventor Award in the SME category, as well as the top prize at the 2022 She Loves Tech awards.

While Elizabeth McGloughlin, the co-founder and CEO of Tympany Medical, won the third spot in the EIT [European Institute of Innovation and Technology] Women Leadership category, taking home €20,000.

McGloughlin co-founded Tympany Medical along with Rory O’Callaghan in 2018.

The medtech start-up has developed Solascope technology – the world’s first variable angle and self-cleaning imaging tool, creating a more sustainable and advanced approach to surgical visualisation.

Last year, Tympany Medical made it to the final round of the EIT Health Catapult pitching competition. Its results are expected this month.

Nine women entrepreneurs and innovators from across the continent were celebrated at the awards today, receiving a collective €420,000 in cash prizes.

This year, the top prize was awarded to Spain’s Agnès Arbat, the co-founder of Oxofile, a company developing drugs that enhance fertility by improving embryo implantation and simplifying infertility treatments.

Ekaterina Zaharieva, the EU commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation said: “For eleven years, we have celebrated exceptional women driving innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.

“Their bold ideas and leadership are breaking barriers and inspiring future generations of innovators. I hope their success encourages more women in Europe and beyond to pursue innovation and leadership.”

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