A BELFAST start-up developing a new type of body armour has been named the winner of this year’s INVENT awards.
Engineering graduate Peter Gilleece won over the crowd with his 60 second pitch for Vikela Armour, taking home a prize package worth £26,000.
Organised by innovation and entrepreneurship organisation Catalyst, the annual INVENT Awards are the north’s premier competition for innovative start-ups.
Peter Gilleece set up the company just two years ago to develop a new type of body armour that provides better protection and comfort than conventional flak jackets.
Vikela Armour was one of ten finalists who pitched their business concept to a large crowd in the ICC Belfast on Thursday night.
And it was the Queen’s University graduate who won the most votes on the night to scoop the lion’s share of the £50,000 total prize pot.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Gilleece said he was honoured by the win and for the recognition of the potential for his business.
“Existing body armour leaves the head, arms and legs completely exposed and is built on an outdated concept. It is also too heavy, reducing the flexibility of movement and causes the wearer to become exhausted,” he said.
“I wanted to address these issues, leading to the creation of Vikela Armour. Paramedics, motorcyclists, mine clearance charities, the military and many more industries can benefit from our lightweight, full coverage products.”
The entrepreneur said the funding will help the new business expand into more industries, including aerospace and automotive.
“We hope that in five years from now we will be growing our manufacturing base further within Northern Ireland and will be starting to design the next evolution of armour,” he added.
Vikela Armour was also named best product on the night. Other category winners included Phasora (greentech), Pulse AI (health and wellbeing), Thunder (business software) and Linc (consumer software).
Field of Vision, who provide live sport for visually impaired fans, delivered through haptics and AI, was presented with the new inclusive innovation award.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Student INVENT competition was Atlas Smart Technologies Ltd, which has designed and developed an adjustable dumbbell that uses a patent-eligible mechanism to allow users to change its weight from 4kg up to 30kg.
Meg Magill, INVENT’s programme manager, said: “These companies are an inspiration to us all as they strive to find innovative solutions to real world problems.
“Catalyst is focused on fostering inclusive innovation and developing entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland and the calibre of entries we received this year has once again highlighted the quality of talent and potential for innovation that exists here.
“I have no doubt that this year’s finalists will go on to do amazing things.”
George Higginson, director of Northern Ireland, partnerships and mortgages at Bank of Ireland UK, headline partner of the INVENT Awards, said: “The 2022 programme has been inspirational and we’re hugely excited about the fantastic innovations again this year.
“The overall competition really highlights the talent the Northern Ireland tech and innovation sector has to offer. I am convinced that the entrepreneurs will go on to do amazing things and will represent Northern Ireland well on the global stage.”