Leah Fletcher, Dunbar Pharma announced as "Founder of the Year 2026" at Enterprise Ireland's High Potential Start-Up Awards

Pictured: Leah Fletcher, Founder and CEO of Dunbar Pharma


Leah Fletcher, Founder and CEO of Dunbar Pharma, has been awarded the Enterprise Ireland High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Founder of the Year for 2026. Based in Athlone, Dunbar Pharma is Ireland's first EU GMP-certified cannabinoid pharmaceutical manufacturer. The company produces WaterClear THC™, a plant-derived dronabinol active pharmaceutical ingredient.

The Founder of the Year Awards recognise and celebrate the dedication of entrepreneurs and start-ups working to build the world-class companies of the future. Five finalists were shortlisted for the 2026 Award, each selected by their peers to represent their Founder Group and actively engaged in Enterprise Ireland's HPSU Founders Forum over the past year.

The other four finalists, Breda O'Regan, Lia EyeCare; Mark Birrane, WONDR; Robert Norton, Kaptea; and Seán Kirwan, MedWrite AI, were also recognised for what their companies have achieved to date.

This year marks the 11th year of the HPSU Founders Forum programme, which is delivered in partnership with Select Strategies. To date, 500 HPSU companies have taken part, from sectors as diverse as AI, biotech, food and beverage, cybersecurity, healthtech, medical devices and SaaS.

The Founder of the Year Awards 2026 took place at Salesforce Tower, Dublin, and was moderated by Gary Fox of The Entrepreneur Experiment. Each finalist pitched to a judging panel including Chair, Donnchadh Cullinan, Divisional Manager in Enterprise Ireland, and Founders Forum alumni, Dan Fox, Founder of Johnson Hana & Strategic Advisor at Eudia, and Heidi Davis, Peri.

Announcing the winner, Mark Christal, Executive Director, Enterprise Ireland, said: "Over the past 11 years, 500 HPSU companies have come through the Founders Forum, from food and beverage, biotech and medical devices to AI, cybersecurity and SaaS. That mix reflects the diversity, creativity and ambition that define Ireland's entrepreneurial spirit. Tonight's five finalists were chosen by their peers to represent their Founder Groups, which says a great deal about the respect they have earned within this community. Congratulations to Leah and the team at Dunbar Pharma, and to all of this year's finalists. Here's to the next decade of ambition, scale and success."

ENDS

Contact:

For further information:
Deirdre Geraghty, Press & Communications, Enterprise Ireland
press@enterprise-ireland.com 

Note to Editors:

Founder of the Year 2026 – Finalist Bios

Lia EyeCare – Breda O'Regan (Co-founder & CEO)

Breda O'Regan is co-founder and CEO of Lia EyeCare, an Irish eyecare technology company developing science-backed solutions that work in harmony with the body. A KPMG-trained Chartered Accountant with senior leadership experience at Apple, Allergan and Johnson & Johnson, Breda has led Lia through fundraising, CE certification and manufacturing scale-up. Its first product, Nightleaf®, is a non-invasive wearable for use before sleep, supporting the eyes' natural ability to restore and recover.

WONDR – Mark Birrane (Founder & CEO)

Mark Birrane is the founder and CEO of WONDR, the Irish brand redefining the sweets category with great-tasting jellies that deliver all the enjoyment of traditional sweets, with added nutritional benefits like being low sugar, high protein and high fibre. A former League of Ireland footballer, Mark combined his passion for health, sport and business to launch WONDR, which is now growing across Ireland, the UK and Europe, with the US firmly in sight.

Kaptea – Robert Norton (Co-founder & CTO)

Robert Norton is co-founder and CTO of Kaptea, the company behind Pronto, a journey orchestration platform built on Twilio. Pronto runs workflows and AI across every communication channel, connecting people, AI agents and business systems to orchestrate critical customer journeys end to end. Robert leads Kaptea's technology and product strategy, turning complex communications into coordinated journeys where every commitment is tracked and every loop closes.

MedWrite AI – Seán Kirwan (CEO)

Seán Kirwan is CEO of MedWrite AI. Hospitals use MedWrite to safely deploy and manage AI agents that automate clinical documentation, coding and administrative workflows, completing tasks up to 10x faster. MedWrite works with public and private healthcare organisations across Ireland and has raised over €1 million in funding. Seán has over 20 years' experience in digital health and was previously Global Director of Digital Health Solutions for Neuroscience at Novartis.

Dunbar Pharma – Leah Fletcher (Founder & CEO)

Leah Fletcher is founder and CEO of Dunbar Pharma, Ireland's first EU GMP-certified cannabinoid pharmaceutical manufacturer. She built Dunbar from concept to manufacture, securing major funding, a first-of-its-kind suite of technically demanding licences, developing in-house processes and IP, and launching WaterClear THC™, an innovative plant-derived dronabinol API, to partners behind ten magistral preparations in two major export markets. A recognised authority on cannabinoid regulation, Leah leads a team in Athlone, pairing senior pharmaceutical professionals with an ambitious scientific graduate programme.