Three technology companies in Northern Ireland secured more than £1.8 million in equity investment through Techstart Ventures under Invest Northern Ireland's Access to Finance programme. The funding targets product development, export growth and job creation. Optik AI Ltd in Londonderry, farmdrive in Antrim and Foresight in Belfast each received portions of the total.

Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald visited Optik AI Ltd's facility in the North West region. She highlighted the importance of such funding for early-stage technology companies to advance their operations. The programme launched last year and supports firms commercialising new technologies.

Optik AI Ltd obtained £600,000 to enhance its software platform for business-to-business sales processes. The platform covers lead research, data collection, customer engagement and deal tracking. The company aims to expand into European and US markets while adding five jobs.

farmdrive in Antrim received £690,000 to advance its mobile application for livestock farmers. The app manages compliance, records and herd details, connecting to databases from DAERA in Northern Ireland, EID in Scotland and AIM in Ireland. It serves over 1,000 farms tracking more than 150,000 cattle and includes tools for meat processors on supply chain tracking. Plans include sales increases in Britain and Europe plus eight new positions such as software engineers, a data scientist and a marketing specialist.

Foresight in Belfast gained £500,000 to develop its software tracking chemical regulations across regions. The tool links changes to specific materials and products for manufacturing clients. The investment supports improvements and exports to the US and Europe.

Steven Scullion, director of corporate finance at Invest NI, stated that Techstart Ventures offers equity to early-stage technology firms turning ideas into businesses. Ciaran Ryan, chief executive of Optik AI Ltd, noted rising demand for artificial intelligence sales tools requires faster development and team growth.