Celtic innovation comes together in Lorient

On 3 August 2026, Lorient will welcome six innovative companies from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany for the Interceltic Startup Challenge.

This summer, Lorient will become the meeting point for six startups developing solutions across artificial intelligence, health, financial services, and maritime technology.

Selected to represent six Celtic regions, the companies will be hosted in Lorient as part of the Interceltic Business Forum. They will present their innovations, meet investors and business leaders, explore new markets and build relationships across the interceltic business community.

Their presence reflects the purpose of the Interceltic Business Forum: to be the event and community where Celtic leaders come to meet.

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“Welcoming these six startups to Lorient brings together the best of Celtic innovation and creates new opportunities between our regions.”

Charles Kergaravat, Founder of the Interceltic Business Forum

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Six Celtic companies brought together in Lorient

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The regional winners of the 2026 Interceltic Startup Challenge are addressing real-world challenges: improving the efficiency of power systems, supporting people living with dementia, making financial services more accessible, strengthening communications at sea and connecting maritime communities.

On 3 August, the six companies will take to the stage at CCI Morbihan to present their solutions to investors, business leaders, experts and representatives from across the Celtic regions.

One of them will be named Interceltic Startup Champion 2026.

But the Challenge goes far beyond the competition itself. It gives each company greater visibility, access to new networks and the opportunity to develop connections across different Celtic markets.

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The 2026 regional winners

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Memory Lane Games — Isle of Man

Memory Lane Games develops apps for people living with dementia, as well as for their families and caregivers.

Its platform offers personalised games based on each person’s hometown, interests, music, cultural experiences and memories.

The company is also developing an AI-powered conversational companion designed to encourage reminiscence and recognise emotional signals in the voice, including joy and frustration.

Its aim is to help people living with dementia feel heard, while giving families and caregivers new ways to create positive moments of connection.

Dimply — Ireland

Dimply provides a personalised financial experience platform for banks, insurers and pension providers.

Using artificial intelligence, teams can design and deploy new customer journeys through instructions written in plain English, without changing their core technology systems.

The platform also includes Holi, a financial companion designed to provide personalised, explainable and auditable support.

Dimply aims to help financial institutions provide services that are more accessible, more useful and better aligned with the real needs of their customers.

weeteq — Scotland

weeteq is developing Ultra Edge®, an embedded intelligence platform for power and control systems.

Its technology places artificial intelligence directly inside microcontrollers, allowing power fluctuations to be predicted and reduced before they occur.

By responding in less than a tenth of a millisecond, Ultra Edge® could help electric vehicles, industrial equipment, energy infrastructure and data centres operate more efficiently, reliably and consistently.

Voxmar — Cornwall

Voxmar is building a new communications infrastructure for maritime environments.

The company uses autonomous surface vessels as mobile relays, connecting vessels, people, underwater sensors and offshore infrastructure in areas where traditional networks are unavailable.

Unlike many autonomous vessels that are designed to collect data, Voxmar’s vessels are designed to transport it.

The technology could support offshore wind, ports, maritime research, safety operations and autonomous systems at sea.

emwillcare — Wales

emwillcare is developing Less Distress, a behavioural support platform for professionals working in dementia care.

The platform analyses what happens before, during and after an episode of distress, helping care teams identify triggers, unmet needs and the most appropriate support for each individual.

Built on specialist expertise in behavioural science and dementia care, Less Distress aims to move care away from reactive responses and towards greater prediction and prevention.

Its goal is to improve quality of life for people living with dementia while reducing pressure on families, caregivers and professional care teams.

SailToo — Brittany

SailToo is a community-powered mobile platform designed to make boating safer, easier and more connected.

Through an interactive map, boaters can identify nearby sailors, ambassadors, marine professionals and services.

They can ask for help, share knowledge and connect directly with members of the local maritime community.

SailToo also enables experienced boaters, known as “Boat Jobbers”, to offer their skills and services to other sailors.

Following its launch in Brittany, the company plans to grow its community along the French coastline before expanding into southern England, Ireland and other European maritime regions.

Lorient, a meeting place for Celtic entrepreneurs

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Welcoming these six companies to Lorient represents much more than a final competition.

During their stay, the founders will have the opportunity to meet partners, business leaders, representatives from the Celtic regions and economic development organisations.

They will also be able to exchange ideas with one another, discover new ecosystems and identify future collaborations.

For Lorient, their presence highlights the city’s role as a meeting point between Celtic identity, innovation and international economic development.

The final will take place during the tenth edition of the Interceltic Business Forum, bringing together business and institutional leaders from across the Celtic world.

Join us on 3 August 2026

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The six startups will come together at CCI Morbihan in Lorient on 3 August 2026.

Entrepreneurs, investors, public-sector leaders, economic partners and members of the interceltic community will be able to discover their projects and meet the people behind them.

Six startups. Six Celtic regions. One day in Lorient to create new connections and new opportunities.

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