The Interceltic Business Forum will return to Lorient on Monday, 3 August 2026 for its 10th edition, hosted at CCI du Morbihan during the Festival Interceltique de Lorient.
The Interceltic Business Forum will return to Lorient on Monday, 3 August 2026 for its 10th edition, hosted at CCI Morbihan during the Festival Interceltique de Lorient.
Founded in Lorient in 2016, the Interceltic Business Forum has grown into a conference and community connecting entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, policymakers and innovators from across the Celtic nations.
This year’s edition will bring together participants from Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and the wider Celtic business network for a day focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, international growth and cross-border collaboration.
The Forum is designed to create more than conversation. It helps businesses gain visibility, expand their network, discover new opportunities and build relationships that can open doors across Celtic and international markets.
Interceltic Business Forum — Lorient 2026
Monday, 3 August 2026
CCI Morbihan, 21 quai des Indes, Lorient, Brittany
Free registration, limited places
Registration: https://www.intercelticforum.com/events
The Interceltic Business Forum has become a platform for leaders from across the Celtic world to meet, share ideas and explore opportunities together.
Set against the backdrop of the Festival Interceltique de Lorient, the Forum brings the economic dimension of Celtic connection into focus. It creates a space where companies, institutions and regional ecosystems can exchange knowledge, build partnerships and explore what is possible when Celtic regions work together.
The 2026 edition will highlight the role of Lorient as a meeting point for Celtic business, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Participants will have the opportunity to meet founders, investors, economic development organisations, elected officials and business leaders working across key areas such as artificial intelligence, maritime innovation, industry, energy, fintech, health, diaspora networks and international growth.
A major highlight of the 2026 edition will be the Interceltic Startup Challenge, which will bring six high-potential startups to Lorient to present their businesses during the Forum.
Each startup has been selected to represent one Celtic region. Together, they reflect the strength, ambition and diversity of innovation emerging across the Celtic nations.
The six startups selected for the 2026 Interceltic Startup Challenge are:
SailToo — Brittany
A community-powered platform helping sailors connect, share local knowledge and access support through an interactive map.
Dimply — Ireland
A no-code financial experience platform helping banks, insurers and pension providers build and deploy personalised customer journeys.
weeteq — Scotland
A deep-tech company developing Ultra Edge®, a semiconductor IP platform that predicts and controls power transients in real time.
emwillcare — Wales
The creator of Less Distress, a digital behavioural support platform helping carers better understand and respond to distress in dementia care.
Voxmar — Cornwall
A maritime technology company building a new layer of communications infrastructure for the sea using autonomous surface vessels as mobile network nodes.
Memory Lane Games — Isle of Man
A digital health company using personalised games, reminiscence and AI to support people living with dementia and their caregivers.
The six companies will pitch in front of a jury of investors, business leaders and economic development experts. One will be named Interceltic Startup Champion 2026.
Beyond the competition, the Challenge is designed to give each company visibility, international connections, access to potential partners and a pathway into new Celtic markets.
“Lorient is where the Interceltic Business Forum began, and returning here for the 10th edition is a special moment. The Forum is about bringing the right people together — entrepreneurs, investors, institutions, elected officials and innovators — so that Celtic connections can become real business opportunities. This year’s startups show exactly why this network matters: they are ambitious, international and ready to grow.”
Charles Kergaravat, Founder of the Interceltic Business Forum
8:30am
Doors open -Coffee
9:00am
Welcome
Philippe Rouault, President, CCI Morbihan
Fabrice Loher, President, Lorient Agglomation
9:15am
Industrie lorientaise : attirer, transformer, préserver – construire la performance par la double transition
9:40am
Charles Kergaravat, Founder, Interceltic Business Forum
Frank Feighan, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation
How the West of Ireland is leading on AI
Allan Mulrooney CEO at Western Development Commission,
Frank Feighan, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation
10:25am
Keynote : Leigh Frost, Leader of Cornwall Council
10:35am
Networking Break
10:55am
Distinctive by Design – the Isle of Man’s innovation story
Peter Tylee, Principal Solutions Architect, Plainstep Ltd
Sarah Mercer, Biosphere Isle of Man Board Member
Kirree Gooberman, CEO, Business Isle of Man
11:20am
AI adoption in a multilingual world
Tomás Ó Síocháin, CEO at Údarás na Gaeltachta
11:35am
What is the Irish Sea Rim?
Brandon Kenny, Commercial and Partnerships Director
Phil Leigh, CEO Irish Sea Rim
11:55pm
3 Reason why Cornish devolution make sense!
Perran Moon, MP for Camborne and Redruth
12:15pm
Lunch
1:15pm
Cornwall at the Heart of the Celtic Sea : Roundtable Floating Offshore Wind
Phil Mason, Strategic Director for Sustainable Growth and Place, Cornwall Council
Joanie Willett, Associate Professor in Regional Development, Co Dir. Institute of Cornish Studies, University of Exeter Penryn
1:45pm
Interceltic Startup Challenge winners : Where are they now?
Engineer a Career update
Fendsea update
2pm
Interceltic Startup Challenge
Who are the Celtic regional champs?
Startup pitch sessions
Memory Lane Games — Isle of Man
Dimply — Ireland
weeteq — Scotland
Voxmar — Cornwall
emwillcare — Wales
SailToo — Brittany
3:30pm
How culture drives business in Louisiana
Michael D. Soileau, Director of LFT Fiber
3:45pm
Quels sont les liens entre Cork et la Bretagne ?
Josselin LeGall, Consul honoraire de France à Cork
4pm
From the Wild Geese to the Wine Geese.
A pictorial history of Ireland's greatest contribution to the world of wine
Gerard Corcoran, Innovation at DigiSapiens
4:15pm
Closing remarks & Cocktail
5:30pm
Interceltic Startup Challenge Winners announcement
The Interceltic Business Forum is open to entrepreneurs, business leaders, startups, investors, institutions, economic development organisations, elected officials, and anyone interested in the future of Celtic business and innovation.
Whether you are looking to grow your network, discover new startups, meet partners, explore international opportunities or take part in the wider Celtic business community, Lorient will be the place to be on 3 August.
The Interceltic Business Forum is the conference and community where Celtic leaders, executives and entrepreneurs come to meet.
It fosters economic cooperation and collaboration among Celtic nations by creating a space for businesses, entrepreneurs, policymakers and innovators to connect, share ideas and explore opportunities.
Rooted in Celtic heritage and focused on the future, the Forum brings together tradition, innovation and entrepreneurship to support a more connected Celtic business landscape.
The Interceltic Business Forum is supported by a growing network of partners and supporters across the Celtic regions, including Lorient Agglomération, Business Isle of Man, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Breizh Amerika, Festival Interceltique de Lorient, Cornwall Council, Fin, EirGrid, Western Development Commission, Scottish Business Network, CCI Morbihan and Fidal.
The Interceltic Business Forum will return to Lorient on Monday, 3 August 2026 for its 10th edition, hosted at CCI du Morbihan during the Festival Interceltique de Lorient.
Read More
Guillaume Rimbaud Taunay Charon shares how SailToo is helping sailors connect, share local knowledge and support one another.
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Francis Mobbs shares how Voxmar is using autonomous surface vessels to create resilient offshore communications networks.
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Bruce Elliott shares how Memory Lane Games is using personalised games and AI to support people living with dementia and their caregivers.
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