Athlone businesswoman wins major 'Founder of the Year' award
Athlone woman Leah Fletcher has been awarded the Enterprise Ireland High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Founder of the Year for 2026.
Leah is founder and CEO of Dunbar Pharma, 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 eleventh 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 ceremony took place at Salesforce Tower, Dublin, last night, Thursday, 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."