Enterprise Ireland Signs New Strategic Alliance with Northwell Health

Pictured Front Row – Kevin Sherry, Executive Director, Enterprise Ireland, Elaine Brennan, Executive Director, Global Strategic Partnerships, Northwell Health, Laurence (Larry) Kraemer, EVP and Chief Legal Officer, Northwell Health 

Backrow - Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke and Kevin Ryan. Head of East Coast, Enterprise Ireland 


Enterprise Ireland Signs New Strategic Alliance with Northwell Health to Further Accelerate Irish Healthcare Innovation in the U.S. Market

Neurent Medical, developing a new treatment for chronic rhinitis, also enters strategic partnership with Northwell Health

Irish lifesciences and health tech companies Shorla Oncology, FIRE1, Head Diagnostics and X-Bolt announce U.S. expansion

Northwell Health, one of the largest and most respected health systems in the United States, today signed a new strategic alliance with Enterprise Ireland, the government of Ireland's trade and innovation agency and the world's most active life sciences and health tech investor by deal count. This new alliance builds on a successful relationship that has been a cornerstone of Irish health tech and medtech expansion into the U.S. market since 2016 and sets a new ambition to further accelerate the commercialisation and scaling of Irish lifesciences and health tech companies in the United States.

The signing took place today in New York, witnessed by Ireland's Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, Elaine Brennan, Executive Director of Global Strategic Partnerships at Northwell Health, and Kevin Sherry, Executive Director at Enterprise Ireland.

Northwell Health is currently engaged with 18 Enterprise Ireland lifesciences and health tech companies. The alliance has delivered tangible, measurable outcomes for these companies including procurement contracts with Northwell Health, clinical pilots and trials, and strategic investments through Northwell Ventures.

Today, Northwell Health also signed a partnership with Galway-based MedTech company Neurent Medical, whose NEUROMARK technology, developed with early support from Enterprise Ireland, has benefited from Northwell's clinical network as the company scales across the U.S. market. Neurent Medical recently closed an oversubscribed €62.5 million ($74 million) Series C funding round and is developing innovative, minimally invasive treatments for chronic rhinitis and other chronic inflammatory sinonasal diseases.

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke said: "Northwell Health has been an invaluable partner to Ireland and to Irish health tech and medtech companies. This alliance has provided Irish companies with unparalleled opportunities and privileged access to Northwell Health's vast clinical network, serving as a critical gateway for innovative Irish companies entering and scaling within the U.S. healthcare market. Ireland's life sciences and health tech sector is thriving, and partnerships like this are central to ensuring that innovation emerging from Ireland reaches patients in the U.S. and around the world."

Elaine Brennan, Executive Director, Global Strategic Partnerships, Northwell Health said: "Northwell Health is proud to sign this new strategic alliance with Enterprise Ireland and build upon years of successful collaboration. Our International Business Programme has proven to be an invaluable gateway for innovative international companies seeking to enter and scale within the U.S. healthcare market. Since 2016, we have provided Enterprise Ireland client companies with direct access to clinical experts across one of America's largest health systems, resulting in meaningful outcomes including procurement contracts, clinical pilots and trials, and strategic investments from Northwell Ventures. We look forward to welcoming the next generation of Irish healthcare innovators and supporting their growth in the U.S. market."

Kevin Sherry, Executive Director, Enterprise Ireland said: "Ireland's life sciences and health tech sector is producing world-class innovation at a remarkable pace and is attracting record VC investment, a testament to the depth and quality of Ireland's R&D ecosystem. Our new strategic alliance with Northwell Health sits at the heart of that ambition, providing significant opportunities for innovative Irish companies to commercialise and co-develop new innovations and enter the U.S. market. The partnership between Neurent Medical and Northwell Health is a great example of the excellent collaboration that exists between Ireland and the United States across the healthcare industry."

Under the new agreement, Enterprise Ireland client companies will continue to benefit from direct access to Northwell's leading clinical experts across its network of 28 hospitals and more than 1000 outpatient facilities, as well as introductions to Northwell's innovation and commercial infrastructure.

This new alliance reflects Ireland's emergence as a global hub in lifesciences and health technology innovation and investment. In 2024, according to PitchBook data, Ireland defied a global venture capital slowdown, recording €491 million in lifesciences and healthtech VC investment, a landmark achievement that underscores the strength of the Irish innovation ecosystem.

Enterprise Ireland's support for Irish lifesciences and health tech companies goes beyond capital. By forging deep institutional relationships with leading U.S. health systems such as Northwell Health, Enterprise Ireland equips client companies with the clinical access, commercial expertise, and market credibility needed to succeed in the highly competitive U.S. market.
 

Neurent Medical – Strategic Partnership with Northwell Health

Neurent Medical develops innovative, minimally invasive treatments for chronic inflammatory sinonasal diseases, with a particular focus on chronic rhinitis. The company's proprietary NEUROMARK technology enables ENT physicians to precisely target and disrupt overactive autonomic nerves to reduce rhinitis symptoms through an in-office procedure, offering patients a clinically effective alternative to ongoing medication. Neurent Medical has a U.S. headquarters in Braintree, Massachusetts, supporting its commercialisation and clinical engagement in the U.S. market.

Enterprise Ireland has been a supporter of Neurent Medical since its early stages, providing a commercialisation grant that enabled the company's foundational development, and subsequently participating in its Series A financing round. The Northwell Health partnership is pivotal in Neurent Medical's U.S. market development, providing the validation and institutional relationships central to scaling a medtech innovation in America's healthcare system.

In February 2026, Neurent Medical closed an oversubscribed Series C funding round raising €62.5 million (approximately $74 million). The round was led by MVM Partners with significant participation from Sofinnova Partners, and continued support from existing investors including EQT Life Sciences, Atlantic Bridge, Fountain Healthcare Partners, and Enterprise Ireland.
 

Irish Lifesciences and Health Tech Companies Expanding in the U.S.

This week, a number of leading Irish lifesciences and health tech companies announced their expansion in the United States:

Shorla Oncology, founded by Sharon Cunningham and Orlaith Ryan, is a commercial-stage specialty pharmaceutical company with four FDA-approved products. The company has recently expanded its U.S. commercial infrastructure, establishing a field team of Oncology Key Account Managers across key geographies to support healthcare professional outreach for its oral liquid oncology products, IMKELDI® and JYLAMVO®. Shorla Oncology has offices in Tipperary, Ireland and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

FIRE1, led by Conor Hanley, has announced the opening of its first U.S. office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as the company prepares for its pivotal NORM-HF clinical study and future commercialisation in the United States. FIRE1 develops technology designed to improve heart failure management by enabling physician-directed patient self-monitoring. The company raised $120 million in new financing in January 2025.

Head Diagnostics has announced two new U.S. clinical partnerships with neurological centres, including one of the largest outpatient neurology practices in the United States. The Dublin-headquartered medtech company develops digital neuroclinical support solutions to help clinicians identify cognitive decline at the earliest possible stage. Through these partnerships, Head Diagnostics will deploy its HDx Cognition platform, in real-world clinical environments, supporting earlier identification of cognitive impairment across conditions including Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and multiple sclerosis.

X-Bolt, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, has announced a new partnership with Vizient, the U.S.’s leading healthcare performance improvement company. X-Bolt’s core innovation is a patented expanding bolt technology, that provides improved fixation solutions for bone fractures where conventional screws often fail. This collaboration will accelerate access for X-Bolt’s technology across Vizient’s extensive member network, which includes over 5,000 hospitals, supporting improved patient outcomes and delivering greater value to healthcare systems throughout the United States.  

ENDS

For Further Information:

Marika MacCarvill

Senior Communications Manager – Ireland & International, Enterprise Ireland

marika.maccarvill@enterprise-ireland.com / +353 86 171 2568

About Enterprise Ireland

Enterprise Ireland is the Irish government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. Enterprise Ireland works in partnership with Irish enterprises to help them start, grow, innovate and win export sales in global markets. In 2024, PitchBook named Enterprise Ireland as the world's most active lifesciences and healthtech VC investor, participating in 60 deals as Ireland recorded €491 million in lifesciences and healthtech investment. www.enterprise-ireland.com

pitchbook-enterprise-ireland-lifesciences-and-health-tech-report-data.pdf

About Northwell Health

Northwell is the largest not-for-profit health system in the Northeast, serving residents of New York and Connecticut with 28 hospitals, more than 1,000 outpatient facilities, 22,000 nurses and over 20,000 physicians. Northwell cares for more than three million people annually in the New York metro area, including Long Island, the Hudson Valley, western Connecticut and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Northwell is New York State’s largest private employer with over 104,000 employees – including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners and Nuvance Health Medical Practices – who are working to change health care for the better. Northwell, named a TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025, is making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Northwell is training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. 

About Neurent Medical

Neurent Medical is a Galway-based MedTech company develops minimally invasive treatments for chronic inflammatory sinonasal diseases. The company's NEUROMARK technology enables ENT physicians to target overactive autonomic nerves in a simple, in-office procedure. Founded as a spin-out from NUI Galway and supported by Enterprise Ireland, Neurent Medical maintains U.S. headquarters in Braintree, Massachusetts. In February 2026, the company closed an oversubscribed €62.5 million Series C round led by MVM Partners. www.neurentmedical.com