Hibra Design is an Irish automotive engineering development company developing bespoke vehicle solutions.
Founded in November 2022 by Mike Keane, Hibra Design offers full vehicle development capability with a focus on clean technology powertrain systems.
Working particularly with industrial and commercial vehicles, Hibra Design’s solutions are compatible with industrial fleet including Road, Off-highway, Industrial, and HGV/LGV.
Overview
Founding Story
Mike Keane, CEO of Hibra Design has acquired over two decades of automotive engineering experience, working with a range of multinational automotive manufacturers including Toyota, Nissan, Ford, and Jaguar. His extensive experience being a Chief Engineer, Design Lead, Technical Lead, and Integration Engineer within many companies influenced his decision to establish his very own startup Hibra Design.
Throughout his career, Mike led the electrification development of multiple road vehicle programmes, which turned his attention to heavy industrial vehicle electrification. This decision was made due to knowing that such vehicles caused detrimental effects on the environment but few solutions were available on the market.
Hibra Design’s Journey
Mike joined us at the Rubicon Centre in 2022 participating in several entrepreneurial programmes to validate and accelerate his business idea.
Commencing his journey with Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers Phase 1 programme, Mike was then offered a place on New Frontiers Phase 2 and 3. The New Frontiers programme supported Mike with the development of Hibra Design where he received the fundamental knowledge and resources to help the growth of his startup business. Such resources included personalized 1:1 mentoring, expert-led workshops, introductions to investors, and securing seed-funding to support the acceleration of his business.
Since embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, Mike participated in many additional entrepreneurial programmes. Programmes include Bord na Mona’s Accelerate Green programme focusing on sustainabilty in startups, Enterprise Ireland’s Prep4Seed programme, being awarded Enterprise Ireland’s “One-To-Watch” award, European Hydrogen Start-up Network where he was one of five startups chosen to participate in Germany, and recently secured €100,000 from Enterprise Ireland’s Pre Seed Start Up Fund, supporting the growth of Hibra Design.
Hibra Design has accomplished many milestones including the expansion of their team, securing investment, and securing a number of high-profile vehicle development projects. Currently, Hibra Design are working with Bord na Mona, developing a bespoke vehicle through the electrification of a tractor, which will be operational in January 2025.
“"Being part of New Frontiers was invaluable for refining our market proposition and validating our customer base. It connected us with investor networks and effectively promoted our business, significantly boosting our company's credibility."”
Mike KeaneNew Frontiers Phase 2 2022/23
