Ruth, John and David Mackey, the siblings behind Galway-based laser system company Mbryonics, were named best established entrepreneurs at the annual EY Entrepreneur of the Year (EoY) awards on Thursday.
The space tech company, which specialises in optics and photonics for use in satellite communications, datacoms and the 5G wireless sectors, recently secured a €17.5 million investment from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator.
Founded in 2014, the company announced in March that it plans to use the investment to create a significant manufacturing facility in the west of Ireland, concentrating on free-form optics and photonic integrated circuits manufacturing techniques with a view to advancing process efficiency, supply chain management, and sustainability.
The company, which wants to turn satellites into orbital data centres to create a space-based internet that will enhance global connectivity, plans to create 150 jobs in the region over the next two years.
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John Mackey, chief executive of Mbryonics, said the award “means an awful lot” for the growing space sector in Ireland. “Last year, we set up the Irish Space Association to recognise the cluster of companies that are emerging out of that space and actually punching well above our weight,” said.
Mr Mackey thanked his parents, who he said had supported “not just one child, but all three children going on this crazy journey”.
Speaking to The Irish Times earlier this year, the Mackeys said the global space technology market size was valued at $443.2 billion (€409.6 billion) in 2023 and is anticipated to reach around $916.85 billion by 2033.
“This rapid growth is attracting huge investment from venture capital funds into space start-ups that will underpin a booming space economy in the 2030s,” they said.
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Their win was announced at the annual EoY awards at the Powerscourt Hotel in Wicklow on Thursday evening.
The other finalists in the established category of this year’s awards programme were Duncan O’Toole, Captured Carbon; Hugh Cormican, Cirdan Imaging; Padraic O’Kane, Corporate.ie; Connor McCandless, Energystore; Sean Moran, Home Project Centre; Clare Hughes, CF Pharma group, including Telenostic Ltd; and Dr Barry Flannery, Xerotech.
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