Jamie Heaslip plays well on commercial field with Urban Volt

Tech investor has taken a stake in UrbanVolt, an energy-saving LED lighting firm

Leinster and Ireland rugby star Jamie Heaslip, who was this week appointed vice-captain of the international squad ahead of the Six Nations, has also been busy on the field of commerce in recent weeks.

A prominent tech investor, he has taken a stake in UrbanVolt, an energy-saving LED lighting firm run by former Merrill Lynch banker Kevin Maughan. Maughan co-founded it with former biotech executive Graham Deane and Declan Barrett, who previously ran a property management business before entering the lighting industry. Bright fellows.

UrbanVolt doesn’t comment on its financial backers, but a quick snoop around its company documents reveals someone stuck in €450,000 on the day before New Year’s Eve. Heaslip clearly put up at least some of that sum.

The rugby player is apparently well-acquainted with the senior people behind Urban Volt. He is said to view the company as a “disrupter” with a bright future targeting SMEs. UrbanVolt retrofits low-energy lights for SMEs for free and maintains them for five years. In return, the SME splits the savings with UrbanVolt.

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Heaslip, meanwhile, should have plenty of businesses to keep him occupied whenever his rugby career ends. He is also an investor in Lovin' Dublin, Niall Harbison's foodie website, and Kitman Labs, a sports technology outfit. Ireland's number eight is also involved with Ian Lucey's tech fund, while he is also a backer of Dublin restaurant Bear, and the Bridge 1859 pub in Ballsbridge. At least he has somewhere to drown his sorrows if any deals fail to ignite.