Building on its commitment to tackling pressing sustainability challenges, the 2050 Accelerator is entering its second year, run by Dogpatch Labs with support from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) and in partnership with industry leaders Kerry Dairy Ireland, ESB, and Coillte. This programme, with the ambition of advancing global green tech, brings together nine sustainability-focused startups from Ireland, the UK, Europe, and the US to develop pilots for their new technology alongside corporate partners, leveraging Ireland's sustainability assets in energy, agriculture, and forestry to drive real-world impact.

Tamara Leigh, a leader in agricultural technology, steps in as the new 2050 Accelerator Director. Leigh is not your typical executive; she is a sought-after speaker on AI applications in agriculture and women in deep tech and previously led EIO Diagnostics, a startup that revolutionised the detection of mastitis in dairy cows using computer vision and machine learning. She was also a participant in the 2050 Accelerator's first cohort.

Leigh shares her vision: "The 2050 Accelerator helps bridge the gap between breakthrough technologies and real-world implementation. By providing startups with access to strategic partner resources and Dogpatch Lab's network of mentors and scale-up experts, we enable these ventures to accelerate their progress, overcome challenges, refine their solutions and contribute to a more sustainable future for all."

The Accelerator boasts a legacy of nurturing high-impact companies such as Yale spin-out CREW Carbon, who went on to raise a $5.3M seed round to capture carbon at wastewater treatment facilities and Silicate Carbon, a finalist in the international XPRIZE Carbon Removal Competition. Other notable alumni include Irish-based Micron Agritech, who later raised €2.7M to minimise unnecessary anti-parasite treatments in agriculture, and Germany's Nerit'e who partnered with Kerry Dairy Ireland to provide farmers with sensors that can detect different nutrient levels in the soil, helping them make more informed decisions about fertiliser usage.

The 2050 Accelerator will conclude in a showcase day in the CHQ building, Dublin 1, on Thursday, June 19, 2025, to an audience of international investors, corporate partners, industry stakeholders, and the wider sustainability community.

Each strategic partner within the collaboration contributes distinct strengths and has set specific challenge areas which are vital to the Accelerator's mission.

Kerry Dairy Ireland is driving growth in sustainability from farm to factory, focusing on carbon reduction, regenerative agriculture, advancements in cow productivity, innovation in dairy nutrition and improving transparency in the dairy supply chain.

Zita McCarthy, Senior Sustainability Manager at Kerry Dairy Ireland, expressed excitement about the ongoing partnership: "At Kerry Dairy Ireland, we recognise that staying at the forefront of sustainable innovation is not just an ambition - it's a necessity. The 2025 launch of the 2050 Sustainability Accelerator with Dogpatch Labs is a powerful step forward in our commitment to delivering real, measurable progress against both our near- and long-term sustainability targets.

"By actively engaging with pioneering startups from across the world, we are fostering the next generation of solutions that will drive a more sustainable food system. Collaboration and innovation go hand in hand, and through this initiative, we are accelerating the future of sustainable dairy."

As set out in its Driven to Make a Difference: Achieving Net Zero by 2040 strategy, ESB has set out a clear pathway to achieve net zero emissions in a way that supports its customers and ensures continued growth. ESB is undertaking transformational changes right across its group to support national climate action plans and address multiple, interlinking sustainability challenges.

Speaking about the significance of part...